The Martha Trap: Ep. 3: When Service Turns to Bitterness

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work,

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while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez.

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Oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Lord, expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host Connie Morris and today we are continuing our series,

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The Algorithm Is Not Your Altar.

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Today we're going to talk about the Martha trap, comparison and resentment,

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when the overload turns into bitterness.

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You know how that happens when we begin to compare ourselves to others or what

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others are not doing or sometimes we're just doing too much.

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Can we just be real with that?

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Our anchor scripture is in Luke 10 40 and it reads, Lord, don't you care that

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my sister has left me to do the work by myself?

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Tell her to help me. This reminds me of just a sister relationship,

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sister-sister relationship.

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I'm the oldest in my family and many times the oldest, the elder has to do most

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of the work, but I'm never the one to have her help me.

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And I was never, when you're the oldest, we don't cry like that.

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But it's that middle sister, that younger sister who maybe has a chore she doesn't

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like, or he doesn't like, and they want to cry because it's their turn to do the work.

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And it's just bothering them because they have reached the age of maturity where

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the elder doesn't have to take care of the younger anymore.

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And so now they get to feel that responsibility of doing the work themselves.

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But this relationship with Mary and Martha, it's a little bit different because

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each person has a gift that they use.

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Like some people are hostess with the mostest and they love to entertain.

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But we see here that's not Martha.

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Martha loved to put on a show for Jesus.

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And not the hospitality of entertainment.

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I've worked with many ladies who love hospitality and they will come in and

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make a room from zero to 100 in about an hour and a half or so.

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And all they may need me to do is pin this here, hang this here, put the tablecloths on.

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And if you don't do that, then they're not crying out, tell her to help me.

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But you want to help because you want to be part of what that decoration.

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That room decor is going to look like in the end. And so you get a little credit.

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So I just went on a little tangent because this reminds me of a little sister.

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And so we see here that Martha may not be the oldest.

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In my opinion, they always start out with Martha and Mary or Mary and Martha.

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You're thinking that maybe Martha might be the oldest.

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But as I look out, as I kind of get into meditating on the scripture,

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it seems like she might be the youngest and we can understand that.

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Let's go to some supporting scripture to support what this topic will be about.

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It's about Martha Trapp, comparison and resentment when overload turns to bitterness.

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I think we've all been there when we've taken on too much and we just like,

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dang, no one's helping me. I feel like I'm doing this all by myself.

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But did we really ask the Lord for that?

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Are we really carrying something that really is not? I want to read it from

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the foundational scripture, and it's found in Luke 11.

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Luke, I'm sorry, Luke 10, 40, the translation I just read, but I want to take

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you back to the King James translation.

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And it says here, it says, but Martha was cumbered about with much serving and

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came to him and said, Lord, does thou not care that my sister had left me to serve alone?

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Bid her therefore that she helped me.

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So supporting scripture, we're going to go to Galatians chapter 6 verses 4 to

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5. As you can see with the new.

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Way that I'm teaching is that it's going to require you to open up your Bible.

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And so let's go to Galatians chapter six, verses four and five.

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And it reads, it says, but let every man prove his own work.

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And then shall we have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another for every

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man should bear his own burden.

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I love that God has an answer for everything. It says, don't compare, carry your own load.

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So God wants us to do our business.

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Pay attention to what you need to do and stop watching what others aren't doing

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or should be doing, because that will burn you out in itself.

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Let's go to James 3, see what God has to say about this topic.

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Here we go. James 3.16, it says, for where envy and strife is,

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there is confusion in every evil work.

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So when we add that little sauce of envy and comparison, then we open the door for the enemy.

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And so we do not want to do that. We do not want to be a person who is so busy.

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We know the busy be so busy about what someone's doing or not doing or should

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be doing, especially if you serve in the church.

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Many times you serve in the church and people are able-bodied and they're able

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to serve, but they don't.

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And yeah, if we actually put a focus on that, we will become envy.

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Jealousy, and then we open the door for the enemy.

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And we don't want to do that. Let's go to Proverbs 14, 30.

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1430 tells us, a sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones.

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Dang, do you want your bones to be rotten because you have so much envy in you?

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Pay attention to the scripture, envy in the bone. When you see that in the natural,

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what you see is people who, they might be younger, but they look older because

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they have that envy in their hearts,

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that envy going on in their heart.

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And so we don't want our bones to rot because we're comparing ourselves to others.

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That ages you the worst. Let's go to Philippians chapter 2 verse 14.

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And it says, do all things without murmuring and disputing.

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I'm going to go ahead with verse 15, that ye may be blameless and harmless,

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The sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,

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among whom ye should shine as lights in the world.

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It's telling you that God wants us to represent him.

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And he doesn't want, we don't represent him well when we are claiming,

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and we are blaming and murmuring and disputing because someone's not doing their job.

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Those little things actually get into your heart. And when it gets into your

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heart, it causes you to burn out quicker.

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Do you believe that? It causes you to actually burn out quicker because you're

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too busy about somebody else's business.

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I'm just smiling and laughing because I've been there where I'm like,

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dang, how come this person gets to do that?

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And God tells us to mind our own business. Let's go to John 21.

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To 21, verses 21 and 22.

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And this is Peter, and I'm going to start in verse 20.

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It says, Then Peter, turning about, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following,

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which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that portrayeth thee?

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So he's watching John lean in on Jesus, like, you know, come on.

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And so now Peter, being the man that he is, he's like, I ain't doing all that. But John didn't care.

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John loved Jesus so much that he just wanted to hear his heartbeat.

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So verse 21 tells us, Peter seeing him said to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man do?

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Jesus said unto him, if I will, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

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Follow me. So he's, Jesus is telling Peter, because like just imagine this,

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you know, just kind of like Martha and Mary, where you got John all over Jesus.

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And then Jesus saying, someone's going to betray me. And then he probably looking

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right at John saying, who is it?

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You know, and Jesus tells him what?

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He says, don't worry about it. You don't worry about it.

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And so many times that we know we are guilty of it, that we worry about it.

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Jesus told Peter, follow me. Keep your eyes on me. I got everything under control.

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So we see here in Galatians, we can't compare. Don't compare. Carry your own load.

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Whatever that load is. If God has given you a lot of load, that means he knows

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you can carry it. James 3.16 tells us envy produces disorder.

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Proverbs 14 tells us envy rots the bones. In Philippians 2, do all things without

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murmuring and complaining.

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And then John 21, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. And that's in the King James Version.

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And really in the Connie Morris translation is mind your own business.

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Just keep your eyes on me.

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It is possible to be doing the right thing with the wrong spirit.

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That's what happened when service becomes overloaded. At first you serve because you love God.

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At first you help because it's in your heart. At first you don't mind doing

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extra, but slowly, quietly something shifts.

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You start watching other people.

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You start noticing who isn't helping. You start feeling like,

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you're carrying what everyone else should be carrying too.

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And before you know it, your heart is no longer full of love.

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It's full of resentment.

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This is the Martha trap. It's when a faithful servant becomes a frustrated servant,

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not because they stopped loving Jesus, but because they started believing that

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they were all alone in the work.

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And what makes this a dangerous trap is that resentment doesn't just make you tired.

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Resentment makes you hard. You know why? Because it gets into your heart.

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It gets into your heart. And like I said, most of the messages comes from,

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it has to go through the leader first, the speaker, the preacher.

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And so I can remember a time and that my heart turns into bitterness because

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you're serving the Lord with all your heart.

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And then you start to look around and see who's not serving.

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That causes resentment.

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Or you serve the Lord with all your heart and you maybe created some new things

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that wasn't really mandatory at first, but then it becomes mandatory.

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And then it sticks in your heart like, oh my gosh, that can happen at work.

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That can happen at church. It can happen anywhere.

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When you start to do something freely and voluntarily, and then suddenly they

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make it mandatory and then you don't want to do it.

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Can I just be real? You know, I didn't want to do it. Why is it mandatory now?

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I had more fun doing it when it wasn't.

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1040 is one of the realest verses in the Bible because it captures what many

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believers feel, but try to hide it.

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Lord, don't you care? That reveals the pain.

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Then she says, Martha says, that my sister has left me to do the work by myself.

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This right here reveals a loneliness and a frustration. And many times as I'm

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listening and going over this Martha and Mary story, many of our issues really

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don't come to the forefront until someone comes around that you want to impress.

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And that person you're trying to impress is not noticing you.

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You know, you're doing everything. You're showing up early.

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You're dusting off the windowsills and vacuuming. And yet no one has noticed you.

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So you begin to feel lonely and frustrated. And then you who volunteered in

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that position, who doing things because

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you want to, because your heart is right, begin to watch who is it.

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And this is you or this could be me.

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Lord, can you tell her to help me? And what that reveals is control.

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This is why the Martha trap is not just about being busy. It's about the heart.

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Martha does three things that reveal what comparison does to a person.

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First thing she does is she measures her burden against Mary's posture.

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Mary is moving. Mm-mm.

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I'm sorry, Martha is moving, Mary is sitting.

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Instead of asking herself, why am I so overwhelmed? She asks.

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Why isn't she overwhelmed like me?

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You see how we compare people? We want people, even in a whole natural point,

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we only want to be around people who are like us.

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Anytime you go around somebody that's different, that challenges you,

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you don't like them because now it's a challenge.

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Because you like what they do, that gets you uncomfortable.

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Right? But then it also creates this anxiety and anxiousness in you because

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she's doing it well because she's walking in her gift and you're doing it to

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be seen and you begin to walk in resentment.

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We see here that Martha starts to marry herself again.

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Martha begins to compare herself to what Mary is doing. Number two,

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Martha interprets Mary's peace as disrespect.

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Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet. But Martha doesn't see worship. She sees laziness.

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That's what resentment does. It makes you misinterpret what is holy.

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Wow. I like to say we get it twisted. I don't think we know what that looks like.

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We definitely know what it feels like. We know that Martha starts to look at Mary.

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Now, this is her sister. And so this is like nothing new. You know,

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sisters can have a little conflict between each other.

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And so Mary, maybe this time, Martha's saying, can that wait because Jesus is here?

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And Mary is like, no, can that wait because Jesus is here? You see what I'm saying?

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So number three, she tries to recruit Jesus into her frustration.

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How many times we do that? Jesus, you see that? This is a major thing because

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Mary, Martha doesn't just complain to Mary.

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She complains to the Lord, expecting him to take sides.

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Telling her to help me. In other words, Jesus agreed that with that,

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I'm doing more than she is doing less.

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Like you want Jesus to agree with your anxiety.

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Jesus is never going to do that. But Jesus refuses to validate resentment.

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Instead, he exposes the real issue.

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He says, Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Luke 10, 41.

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And the battle wasn't with Mary. The battle was Martha's inner condition.

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And many times we know that inner condition comes out when you are trying to

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be seen because you want to look busy.

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And Mary says, no, I'm going to sit in Jesus. I'm going to sit here in his

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in his presence, right? What is resentment? Resentment is not just anger.

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Resentment is anger that has been stored instead of surrendered.

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It happens when you keep giving without filling up. You keep saying yes while feeling unseen.

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You keep serving while feeling unsupported. And you keep carrying that what

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God had never assigned you.

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And I told you this comes to the

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preacher first. You're serving and you're serving with your whole heart.

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But did he tell you that you were a leader? Because a lot of times us females,

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especially as alpha female, we like to take over.

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We like to start telling people what to do when no one told you that you had that authority.

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And whenever you put yourself in a position of authority that you were not called

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to do, no one, listen, is required to listen to you.

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No one's required to listen to you. So then you do it out of resentment because

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you've already started it.

00:17:59.111 --> 00:18:03.371
You know, you might have started coming to church early to help set up the communion cups.

00:18:03.511 --> 00:18:07.771
And then all of a sudden you got everybody wanting to help or everybody not

00:18:07.771 --> 00:18:09.731
showing up. So now we have a lot of church.

00:18:09.891 --> 00:18:13.111
Now you're doing all the work. And yet they come in and you say,

00:18:13.191 --> 00:18:16.191
hey, grab this, grab that. You are not the leader.

00:18:16.431 --> 00:18:21.491
And I remember the Lord has to tell me that you're caring more than you are required to.

00:18:21.711 --> 00:18:26.051
And when he said that, he just said, I need you to sit down for a minute.

00:18:26.678 --> 00:18:30.678
Get out of the way. When I sat down for a minute, when I took a sabbatical,

00:18:30.858 --> 00:18:33.698
I realized that the church can function without me.

00:18:33.878 --> 00:18:39.558
Oh, is that a surprise? God, I did get out of the way for almost 90 days,

00:18:39.558 --> 00:18:44.598
and I realized that the church can function without me.

00:18:44.898 --> 00:18:48.518
Matter of fact, people are growing without me.

00:18:48.698 --> 00:18:54.978
They're able to do a surprise without the alpha female Connie trying to be the

00:18:54.978 --> 00:18:59.278
director, the boss, and the recruiter too much.

00:18:59.298 --> 00:19:02.918
That wasn't my job, and that might not be your job.

00:19:03.098 --> 00:19:07.138
Resentment is dangerous because it disguises itself as righteousness.

00:19:07.578 --> 00:19:12.818
It makes you feel justified, but it's not holy. It's heavy, and it will eventually

00:19:12.818 --> 00:19:18.558
poison your worship, your joy, your relationships, and your view of God.

00:19:18.698 --> 00:19:21.658
Tell her to help me, spirit. I like that.

00:19:22.178 --> 00:19:26.738
Tell her to help me, Spirit. Everyone, don't even look at me like that,

00:19:26.938 --> 00:19:30.118
that you have already been in this position.

00:19:30.378 --> 00:19:34.158
How come no one else doing this? I'm a rule procedure person.

00:19:34.198 --> 00:19:39.098
You start to write in a way that you want to get everybody to do what you're

00:19:39.098 --> 00:19:43.058
doing, but that is not your job. That is not your job.

00:19:43.338 --> 00:19:47.618
Your job is to lead them into the Spirit, begin to be the example,

00:19:47.798 --> 00:19:50.078
and then people will follow you.

00:19:50.278 --> 00:19:54.858
They do not look for a boss if you're not the boss. That's for me, not for you.

00:19:55.351 --> 00:19:58.471
Real time looks like this. You're the reliable one.

00:19:58.711 --> 00:20:04.451
Come on, the responsible one. The one who always shows up. The one who always gives.

00:20:04.811 --> 00:20:09.211
The one who always stays late. The one who always fixes it.

00:20:09.611 --> 00:20:13.471
And instead of asking for balance, you start building bitterness.

00:20:14.031 --> 00:20:17.071
Now, this can happen at church and this can happen at work.

00:20:17.251 --> 00:20:21.411
So if you are a person, and I am that person who likes to fix things,

00:20:21.591 --> 00:20:25.351
if it's out of order, I like to fix it. And if you're not riding with me, then I'm out of here.

00:20:25.511 --> 00:20:28.091
And I realized that I am not the boss.

00:20:28.271 --> 00:20:32.711
I'm not the boss at work. I'm the boss at home, but I'm not the boss.

00:20:32.871 --> 00:20:39.471
And even though I've been hired to do a job and I happen to be a fixer, is that good or bad?

00:20:39.691 --> 00:20:44.171
The reason it's bad is because if you're fixing it and no one's listening or

00:20:44.171 --> 00:20:47.671
you're not getting credit, that can mess you up on the inside.

00:20:47.891 --> 00:20:50.951
And that can lead to resentment and that can lead to bitterness.

00:20:51.331 --> 00:20:55.571
Prayer helps that. Prayer always helps that. Instead of asking for balance,

00:20:55.771 --> 00:20:58.031
you start building bitterness.

00:20:58.351 --> 00:21:03.691
So you begin to make slick comments, withholding love, judging those who rest,

00:21:04.031 --> 00:21:08.091
rolling your eyes at worshipers, resenting people who have boundaries,

00:21:08.331 --> 00:21:11.951
and feeling triggered by other people's peace.

00:21:12.071 --> 00:21:16.331
And you don't even realize it. But you're not mad because they're lazy.

00:21:16.531 --> 00:21:20.151
You're mad because you don't know how to rest. That's for me.

00:21:20.311 --> 00:21:24.331
That's what the Martha Trap does. It turns a servant into a critic.

00:21:24.551 --> 00:21:29.631
It turns a helper into a controller. It turns a lover of Jesus into someone

00:21:29.631 --> 00:21:32.691
who feels neglected by Jesus.

00:21:33.151 --> 00:21:39.231
Lord, don't you care? That comment right there is when resentment starts to

00:21:39.231 --> 00:21:41.231
speak. Comparison is the thief.

00:21:41.571 --> 00:21:43.551
It steals joy. Corrupt service.

00:21:44.251 --> 00:21:48.411
Poisons worship. Now, I want you to answer these questions honestly.

00:21:48.631 --> 00:21:52.031
Who have I been comparing myself to lately?

00:21:52.211 --> 00:21:56.831
And it reminds me of a Janet Jackson song, What Have You Done For Me Lately?

00:21:57.131 --> 00:22:00.751
And so that's the attitude we get. We start to make it personal.

00:22:01.301 --> 00:22:06.321
Have I been resenting someone's peace? Have I been judging people who set boundaries?

00:22:06.641 --> 00:22:11.141
Have I been serving from love or from pressure? Have I been saying yes while

00:22:11.141 --> 00:22:13.401
silently wishing someone else would step up?

00:22:13.581 --> 00:22:18.861
Have I asked Jesus to validate my frustration rather than heal my heart?

00:22:19.021 --> 00:22:23.361
Let's talk about how to break this market trap. This is where we get free.

00:22:23.761 --> 00:22:27.541
And Galatians says, get free and stay free. So let's go.

00:22:28.121 --> 00:22:32.321
Number one, stop comparing your assignment to someone else's posture.

00:22:32.741 --> 00:22:35.941
Mary wasn't called to do what Martha was doing at that moment.

00:22:36.121 --> 00:22:39.501
And Martha wasn't called to do what Mary was doing at that moment.

00:22:39.881 --> 00:22:43.541
Different seasons, different assignments, same Jesus.

00:22:43.901 --> 00:22:48.021
Number two, release the need to control. When you feel overwhelmed,

00:22:48.521 --> 00:22:54.201
control feels like relief, but control does not peace. Peace comes from surrender.

00:22:54.641 --> 00:22:57.761
Thank you, Lord, for this. Number three, say it out loud.

00:22:57.961 --> 00:23:02.541
I'm doing too much. The mature believer learns to admit overloaded,

00:23:02.741 --> 00:23:07.541
not to complain, but begin to realign. And that's what I've been doing.

00:23:07.741 --> 00:23:11.501
Like, Lord, what am I called to do? I'm going to do that. I'm not the boss.

00:23:11.601 --> 00:23:13.701
I'm not the supervisor. Nobody promoted me.

00:23:14.061 --> 00:23:17.541
And that trying to manage people without the manager's authority,

00:23:17.741 --> 00:23:19.881
you will get anger and bitter.

00:23:20.221 --> 00:23:22.941
Number four, ask for help without bitterness.

00:23:23.501 --> 00:23:26.921
Don't wait until you're angry. Don't wait until you explode.

00:23:27.421 --> 00:23:29.361
Don't even wait until you feel used.

00:23:29.881 --> 00:23:33.681
Ask early, ask clearly, and ask humbly.

00:23:34.081 --> 00:23:39.201
Number five, choose presence over proving. Sometimes people get resentful because

00:23:39.201 --> 00:23:41.821
they are still trying to prove themselves.

00:23:42.281 --> 00:23:46.901
Come on, but you don't have to prove your value. Jesus already chose you.

00:23:47.081 --> 00:23:51.461
I don't care what you're doing in your life, Whether you're a janitor,

00:23:51.721 --> 00:23:56.221
whether you're a window washer, whether you're the CEO of a corporation,

00:23:56.421 --> 00:24:00.821
whatever that is, God has already chosen you to do that.

00:24:00.961 --> 00:24:03.801
And when it becomes too much, he's there.

00:24:04.434 --> 00:24:08.834
You can cast your cares upon him because the Bible says, because he cares for you.

00:24:08.994 --> 00:24:14.434
And when you know you're caring too much, you got to ask yourself, am I doing too much?

00:24:14.594 --> 00:24:21.194
And then begin to step back. When you do that, you'll realize that people will begin to step up.

00:24:21.414 --> 00:24:25.374
My new position requires me to answer grievances.

00:24:25.674 --> 00:24:31.854
And when I first took the job, they were in a large place and everyone has something

00:24:31.854 --> 00:24:35.694
to say. And what I found out is some of the, it's a formal system.

00:24:35.954 --> 00:24:38.674
Some of those are not grievances. Some of those are comments.

00:24:38.834 --> 00:24:42.594
Some of those are bite backs, you know, and be able to organize that.

00:24:42.854 --> 00:24:47.674
And I realized from that, what God put me in this new position is that that

00:24:47.674 --> 00:24:49.814
right there is what it's about.

00:24:50.114 --> 00:24:53.694
You have people who complain about everything. And then when they don't get

00:24:53.694 --> 00:24:55.454
their way, they're resentful.

00:24:55.754 --> 00:24:59.054
But then they begin to try to tell you how to do things.

00:24:59.194 --> 00:25:04.034
In reality, no one made you boss. and that causes more resentment, right?

00:25:04.254 --> 00:25:07.934
Number six, repent from murmuring. Murmuring is a spiritual leakage.

00:25:08.434 --> 00:25:13.894
It drains you and spreads disorder. Philippians says, do all things without murmuring.

00:25:14.434 --> 00:25:18.874
Philippians 2.14, we read that. Do all things without murmuring and complaining.

00:25:19.334 --> 00:25:21.714
So that shows that there's two different things happening here,

00:25:21.834 --> 00:25:26.334
a murmur and then a complaint. A murmur, you're like, oh, you're saying it under your breath.

00:25:26.574 --> 00:25:30.454
Then it comes to a complaint, when you say it out loud.

00:25:30.854 --> 00:25:34.214
And then when you do that, I know you feel it in your heart.

00:25:34.274 --> 00:25:36.834
I shouldn't have said that. I think I'm getting a little bit of bitter.

00:25:37.354 --> 00:25:38.574
I'm getting a little resentment.

00:25:39.390 --> 00:25:44.990
Because I don't like how that person comes here every day and suck up this or

00:25:44.990 --> 00:25:47.950
do that, but never add anything to this or that.

00:25:48.110 --> 00:25:51.070
You know, I'm not going to go into a lot of details, but you know what I'm talking about.

00:25:51.410 --> 00:25:55.030
We're too busy watching others. What has God told you to do?

00:25:55.150 --> 00:25:59.130
Do that and do it unto the Lord and you will get your reward.

00:25:59.310 --> 00:26:04.930
Let's pray. Father God, in the name of Jesus, forgive me for the times I have

00:26:04.930 --> 00:26:10.470
compared my burdens to someone else's peace. Forgive me for serving with hidden resentment.

00:26:10.730 --> 00:26:14.330
I renounce bitterness, murmuring, and the need to control.

00:26:14.590 --> 00:26:17.750
Heal the places in me that feel unseen and unsupported.

00:26:18.090 --> 00:26:21.690
Restore purity in my heart so my service stays joyful.

00:26:22.010 --> 00:26:27.230
Teach me how to sit at your feet without guilt and serve without anger.

00:26:27.410 --> 00:26:33.270
I choose peace, I choose humility, and I choose a better portion. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:26:33.790 --> 00:26:40.250
Repeat after me with these declarations. I will not compare my calling to someone else's posture.

00:26:40.390 --> 00:26:42.750
I release resentment and hidden bitterness.

00:26:43.070 --> 00:26:48.390
I serve God with joy, not frustration. I will not try to control what God has

00:26:48.390 --> 00:26:51.450
not assigned me. I choose peace over proving.

00:26:51.750 --> 00:26:55.330
My worship will remain pure, personal, and sincere.

00:26:55.630 --> 00:26:59.950
I have the wisdom to rest and the discernment to realign.

00:27:00.290 --> 00:27:05.870
So our assignment is this. I want you to write down the name or situation that

00:27:05.870 --> 00:27:10.170
has been triggering resentment in you. Then I want you to answer these questions.

00:27:10.430 --> 00:27:15.210
What am I really feeling underneath this? What is God asking me to release?

00:27:15.390 --> 00:27:19.670
And what could peace look like in this relationship or role?

00:27:19.850 --> 00:27:24.810
We're going to also ask you to do what you call a comparison detox.

00:27:25.419 --> 00:27:31.579
For the next 24 hours, I want you to not complain, not to make any slick comments,

00:27:31.939 --> 00:27:36.659
not measuring what you do against what others do, and no rehearsing resentment.

00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:40.099
The rehearsing resentment is that you're not saying it out loud,

00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:43.759
but you get home in a car, somewhere where no one can hear you,

00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:48.539
and you begin to have this resentment, this complaining, and this murmuring.

00:27:48.899 --> 00:27:54.199
Instead, take this time for comparison. I want you to pray this prayer.

00:27:54.199 --> 00:27:58.659
We just pray, but this is a personal prayer you have to say with your mouth.

00:27:58.899 --> 00:28:01.719
Lord, help me to focus on my assignment.

00:28:01.979 --> 00:28:05.999
Heal my heart and restore my joy.

00:28:06.519 --> 00:28:11.339
Wow, the Martha trap. Don't fall in it. This is your host, Connie Morris,

00:28:11.639 --> 00:28:13.079
the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:28:13.739 --> 00:28:17.519
I hope that blessed you. Share with a friend. Reread the scripture.

00:28:17.719 --> 00:28:22.879
Listen to it again because that one was powerful.

00:28:22.879 --> 00:28:28.759
Of course, they're all powerful, but that one helps us kind of have a self-examination

00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:33.979
before we have to cry out and say, Jesus, don't you see them?

00:28:34.379 --> 00:28:39.299
God wants to help us right where we are. So I thank you, and I will see you on the next episode.

00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:53.459
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:28:53.699 --> 00:28:57.439
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:28:57.499 --> 00:28:59.859
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:29:00.159 --> 00:29:04.679
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

00:29:04.919 --> 00:29:09.939
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:14.659
because someone out there needs this reminder today.

00:29:14.979 --> 00:29:21.699
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you,

00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:25.479
declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:28.139
plans to give you hope and a future.

00:29:28.419 --> 00:29:33.239
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

00:29:33.479 --> 00:29:38.699
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

00:29:38.819 --> 00:29:44.779
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

00:29:45.219 --> 00:29:51.159
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:56.479
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

00:29:56.479 --> 00:29:59.279
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

00:29:59.539 --> 00:30:03.899
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:07.879
When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:13.359
When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

00:30:13.619 --> 00:30:15.839
remind us you are still working.

00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:21.879
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.

00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:26.319
Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart,

00:30:26.499 --> 00:30:29.579
not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.

00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:34.199
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

00:30:34.746 --> 00:30:39.986
Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

00:30:40.186 --> 00:30:44.786
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

00:30:45.006 --> 00:30:51.126
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:30:51.666 --> 00:30:55.666
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

00:30:55.846 --> 00:30:58.586
and I'll see you on the next episode.