Party Tips - Mary Or Martha.

There's a passage in the Bible, Luke 10:38-42, that many a sermon has been preached from the pulpit, and many a woman conference centered around. There is even a book out there entitled "Having A Mary Heart In A Martha World" by Joanna Weaver, which I have at one point actually done a Bible study with other ladies. 

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Growing up, I did not understand the meaning of this particular piece of scripture. I always thought "well Martha was actually serving the Lord because she was meeting his physical needs". It wasn't until later in life that I realized exactly what the passage was saying. The importance of having a merry heart in all that I do. It's easy to let the stress of planning or hosting an event turn into exactly that. Stress. Being overcome with the desire for perfection can place unrealistic expectations on yourself. Remove the desire to play the comparison game. Be content with who you are or are not as a hostess. Be content with the look you are trying to create using the budget that you have. Be content. As I look back over some of the personal party tips that we have shared with you, I cannot stress enough the importance of investing in the lives of your guests. I am always working at cultivating a Mary attitude when hosting events. Of course, an easy way to ensure I am not worrying myself about the details of the party during the party, is to plan ahead. To take care of as many details ahead of time as I possibly can. For events that we host as a family, it helps to have at least an hour before the party actually begins to sit and relax. That means no fussing over last minute details. Before my daughter's second birthday party, a friend and I actually went out an hour before the party started and went thrift store shopping! Everything was set for the party, I was dressed, food was ready, house was clean. Getting out allowed me to focus on something totally different, which in turn allowed me to be more engaged and interact better with my guests. Of course what also helps in that situation is to delegate a friend or family member (or to even hire a catering service) to take care of refilling food and drinks while you mingle.