Made Like Martha Book: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done

Made Like Martha by Katie M. Reid and book flay lay by Sarah Koontz

Photo Credit: Sarah Koontz

Today is the day our book, Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done, launches into the world! It’s also my mother-in-law’s, nephew’s, and friend’s birthday, which makes things extra special.

For years, I’ve dreamed, hoped, and prayed for this day. Now that it’s here, it is hard to find the right words to express all the excitement that is swirling within me.

There are so many people to thank, and I’m afraid I’ll unintentionally forget someone…so be sure to read the acknowledgment section of the book (and the dedication too—that was my favorite part to write).

There is much to celebrate, much to consider, and everyday things that still need to happen (like an orthodontist appointment, buying toothpaste, and praying for a dear friend who is injured).

But in the midst of the busy, let’s pause and consider the freedom that is ours.

Excerpt from Chapter 1: The Big To-Do

Way back in the Garden of Eden, Satan caused doubt to ring in the ears of sister Eve when he questioned and twisted what God had lovingly instructed about not eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 3:1–3). With his words Satan crafted a picture of a God who was holding out on His daughter. Eve also added to what God said (by telling the serpent that the fruit couldn’t even be touched), kind of like the Judaizers of Jesus’s day, who added extra rules to the rules (which bred pride and rebellion).

Satan has done similar things with doers like us. He has exploited this familiar passage about Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42 to convince God’s doer daughters that our wiring is flawed, causing us to doubt we are wonderfully made. The accuser of our souls has spun these five verses in Scripture to imply that we are not fully loved or acceptable unless we become someone else, someone more. We have bought into the lie that we are supposed to improve on this God-given design because it isn’t as adored as Mary’s is. But this is not true!

Jesus never asked Martha to be Mary, and He didn’t ask you to be either. He simply pointed out that you do not have to serve from a place of striving and worry, because He is already enough for you. He is not holding out on you. We have added words to what Jesus said and have compromised parts of who He created us to be in the process.*

We have added words to what Jesus said and have compromised parts of who He created us to be in the process. #madelikemartha Share on X

Martha is Fantastic (and so are you)!

For centuries, Martha has gotten a bad rap, but no longer! She is fantastic and so are you. Jesus pointed out one thing for Martha to improve upon, but He wasn’t criticizing the totality of who she was. Being a woman who gets things done is a good thing indeed. Yet, we don’t have to strive to earn the love that we already have nor wear ourselves out to be worthy.

God’s love for you has been settled on the cross. If you believe in Jesus by faith—that He lived a sinless life, died for your sins, and rose again—then you are His child; your position is secure in His heart—whether or not you have a bad day.

If you believe in Jesus by faith, then you are His child; your position is secure in His heart—whether or not you have a bad day. #madelikemartha Share on X

For almost forty years, I wandered around a spiritual desert trying to make it to the Promised Land of God’s acceptance. I carried around a weighty cosmetic bag, filled with determination, perfectionist tendencies, and self-righteousness, to try and make myself more attractive. I was on the “do more, be more” train, trudging onward, but the harder I worked, the more wound up and weary I became.

Then, on a warm summer day, in the midst of a phone call with a friend, God gave me a picture of grace that changed everything.

That realization became the capstone for Made Like Martha.

I can’t wait for you to read all about it in Chapter 5 of the book.