Faith Over Chaos

I am Martha.

Sometimes I’m the busy hostess with a side of sass, while also enjoying the solo pity party like in Luke 10 when Mary chose presence over prep. I relate to Martha because of her analytical mind, and a bit of control freak. I mean let’s be honest here, cleaning and hosting while Jesus is preaching, I’d say a bit of control girl in there. The way she thinks through things, asks direct questions, and still shows up in faith. John 11 paints her so clearly. That’s me. I get her.

As I was reading John 11 this morning, I hit a holy wall. Not a literal one—but the kind where scripture grabs you by the shoulders and says, “Sit with this for a minute.” Martha’s words stopped me. She questions. She grieves. She’s trying to reconcile what she knows about Jesus with what she’s living through.

In John 11:21, Martha says to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

And the way He responds? Not with frustration. Not with a lecture. Just tenderness. Truth. And a reminder: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)

What a moment. Jesus has been known to get a little exasperated with His disciples—like in Mark 8:17–21, when He says, “Do you still not understand?” after they worry about bread… again. It’s a spiritual version of “How many times do I have to say this?”

But with Martha? In John 11, she questions Him—“Lord, if you had been here…”—and He doesn’t snap. He doesn’t say, “When will you believe?” He meets her with tenderness. With truth. With patience. That contrast stopped me. Because I’m Martha. I ask questions. I analyze. I try to line up what I know about Jesus with what I’m living through. And still—He’s kind to me. He walks with me through the messy middle.

That’s Faith Over Chaos. Not the absence of questions, but the presence of Jesus in the middle of them. It’s not about having it all figured out—it’s about showing up, even when your heart’s a little tangled and your prayers sound more like “Why?” than “Thank You.” Faith Over Chaos means trusting that Jesus doesn’t flinch at our grief, our logic, or our need to process. He meets us there—with truth, with tenderness, and with the kind of love that doesn’t rush us through the hard parts. It begins the moment we walk with Him again—just like Adam and Eve did in the garden, before shame and striving took over. Even in the grief. Even in the doubt. Even when we’re asking, “Lord, if you had been here…”

Eden Thinking says: He is here. And He’s still restoring.

Helping you find peace in the garden again—like Martha, meeting Jesus in the messy middle.

So where are you in the Martha moment? Take a breath. Grab a journal. Sit with Jesus in the messy middle.

1. Are you standing at the edge of something that feels too far gone, wondering why He didn’t show up sooner?
2. Are you trying to make sense of what you know about Jesus and what you’re living through right now?
3. Are you clinging to belief with one hand while the other is still wiping down the counters?
4. Are you showing up in faith even when the outcome feels uncertain?
5. Are you letting Jesus meet you in the middle, or waiting until things feel more “put together”?