Martha's Hands......Mary's Mind

The other day at the Goodwill Store I purchased a tiny book entitled Devotions for Women at Home by Martha Meister Kiely, 1959. On the preface page is this poem called "Prayer Hymn" by Cecily R. Hallack:

Lord of all pots and pans and things,

Since I've no time to be

A saint by doing lovely things,

Or watching late with Thee,

Or dreaming in the dawnlight

Or storming heaven's gates,

Make me a saint by getting meals,

And washing up the plates.

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Although I must have Martha's hands,

I have a Mary mind;

And when I black the boots and shoes,

Thy sandals, Lord, I find.

I think of how they trod the earth,

What time I scrub the floor;

Accept this meditation, Lord,

I haven't time for more.

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Warm all the kitchen with Thy love,

And light it with Thy peace;

Forgive me all my worrying,

And make my grumbling cease.

Thou Who didst love to give men food,

In room, or by the sea,

Accept this service that I do----

I do it unto Thee.

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The first devotion in the book is called "God's Tug on the Apron Strings". Here are some thoughts from it:

"God's tug is firm, constant, and difficult to ignore. Only the insensitiveness of our hearts can keep Him distant.

If we admit Him into our consciousness, He will transform us from housekeepers into His handmaids. We are released from the monotony of tasks no one seem to appreciate or even notice to the freedom of performing each small task "as unto Him".

Allowing God to make Himself known to us in our homes rewards us with divine companionship, eternal purpose, peace that passes understanding, and a joy no one can take from us."