There’s an 8 year old video that recently went viral with millions of views online. A little boy named Jordan stands with his pastor at the front of the church to get baptized. The pastor is doing his baptism speech, and you can see little Jordan growing with anticipation of his big moment. And just as the pastor lifts his hand and says, “In the name of the Father …”, little Jordan shouts, “I’ll do it”, and dunks himself under water. He comes up and says, “I did it!” He was waiting and waiting and waiting, and finally he just decides he will do it himself. I have to giggle and wonder where Jordan is today, 8 years later. It’s really the perfect picture of us. We wait and wait, then we just decide to do it ourselves. Sometimes God can just take entirely too long. And what happens when we can’t wait for God … well, we typically make a mess. Where are my control-freak sisters at? Control freaks manifest themselves in several ways, one being anxiety and another being impatience. You worry about the details and how it’s all going to work out, and in your need to have it all work out according to your plan, you start rushing it. Is that you? This morning I did a google search for control freaks in the Bible. Interestingly enough, AI came back with 2 examples … and they were both women! We have Martha and we have Sarah. Martha was a woman who wanted everything to be perfect, but in her pursuit of a super clean house and an impressive meal on the table, she completely missed the point. Jesus was at her house for dinner, so she was busy and filled with anxiety. I mean let’s cut her a break, if Jesus were at your house, wouldn’t you be a little anxious too? What in the world would you cook him? (Jesus, at my house you’re getting pumpkin bread because that’s the one thing I can do super well every time.) Martha is flying around the house like a mad woman, cooking and cleaning, while her sister Mary sits with Jesus and listens to everything he is saying. I imagine Martha has been giving Mary the look … you know the one that says, “girl, you better get in this kitchen and help me.” But, Mary just sat there with Jesus. I bet Martha got extra loud with the pots and pans, maybe even a little groan or sigh to signal her need for help … still Mary just sat there. So finally, out of absolute frustration, Martha goes to Jesus and says in Luke 10: 40, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha was an anxious control-freak, choosing to spend the one evening she has Jesus in her house foolishly stressed about cooking and cleaning. She missed the whole point. Jesus was there to spend time with her, not be impressed by an immaculate house and 4 course meal. Looking back at a whole decade of my life, I realize I was a whole lot more like Martha than Mary. I got caught up in how everything looked and missed what was really happening. What was really happening is my children were growing up and they would never be that little again. What was really happening is time was passing that I would never get back. But dang it, my house was spotless and I had 7 perfectly decorated Christmas trees. Looking back, I make my own self gag. I was the control-freak missing the whole point. I’m so grateful Jesus didn’t give up on me during those years,