Martha Musings
We women of the household are so alike as far as yearning for external or at least visual validation of our labor goes—cleared-off desks, piles of wrapped gifts. But the quotidian nature of our lives means such validation comes rarely, and when it comes, it is definitely fleeting. Unlike an engineer’s or a builder’s accomplishments—perhaps a bridge or a house or a plane—which can last for a generation or two, or even longer, our accomplishments last no longer than the vaporous clouds in the sky. Desks, sinks, and diapers fill back up; tummies that were satisfied only a few hours ago are rumbling again. The sage proclaimed, “All is vanity.” Yet the work is there and must be done, even though our sense of satisfaction is so tenuous.
So the secret must lie in the “how”: how is the work done? With a Martha spirit of resentment or a Mary heart of contentment?
Audora Burg is the copy editor for Touchstone.
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more from the online archives
33.3—May/June 2020
Maternal Body: A Theology of Incarnation from the Christian East by Carrie Frederick Frost
Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage Through Pregnancy by Laura S. Jansson by Agnes R. Howard
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