Shannon Mangerchine
About the Author

Shannon lives in New Orleans with her husband and three kids. She and her husband founded Bastion Ministries: Spreading the message of our relational, loving God. Shannon loves Jesus, food, and meaningful conversations. Most days, you'll find her at the park with her kids or in the kitchen cooking #dinnerdoneby9am.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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Comments

  1. Shannon,
    I love the twist on an old phrase, “The grass is always greener where you water it.” Amen! You are so right in saying that comparison does one of two things….we either wind up on the side of the scale that says, “I’m not enough, ” or we wind up on the side that says, “I’m better than….” Neither is where God wants us to be. He calls us to have a sober assessment of ourselves, which if you really think about it says that without Christ and apart from the vine, we are nothing. We are dead in our sinful tracks. When we let His blood cover us, we are ” God’s beloved” and “More than conquerors.” In short, the sweet spot is being present with Him , it leaves us little time for the comparison game which is always a lose, lose option.
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

  2. What a mercy that God put you two together to maximize your strengths and compensate for the corresponding weaknesses. You sound like the perfect tag-team parenting pair, to me!
    I know what you mean, though, about leaping into action and forgetting about the people in the room. God has grabbed me by my cape a few times, and I’m still working on the hard task of stopping and turning my head toward the voice that wants my full attention.
    Blessings to you, Shannon, and thank you for reminding me to mirror the wonderful qualities of our relational God.

  3. Woke at 4am this morning, with my To-Do List running through my head. Then, of course, my Done List was lingering, with questions of Did I do that right? Should I have made a different decision? A bit after 5am, I got up and opened my Bible. God’s instructions and leading washed away all the stress and questions, giving me focus and nourishment for both today and the future. His Word is truly a two-edged Sword that we should understand how to wield in every situation, so that we can balance our “Martha” with our “Mary”….Thanks for the validating word in this, Shannon!

  4. “…I am often worried and upset about many things, sometimes at the expense of missing the one thing that is needed. I long to be a Mary, to be the one who chooses what is better. A person who chooses peace and presence rather than worry and distraction…” -That stood out for me…Thank you for sharing this Shannon…

    I will make a conscious effort to choose #presence and #peace always…❤️

  5. Thank you for the reminder. My sister is a Martha. She has a clean house, has always made good choices in her life, has her finances all together…well you get the picture. I, on the other hand am a Mary. Since I got saved in 2004, and felt God’s presence for the first time, I have been hooked. My life is forever changed. From the inside out. I am disorganized, a single parent, and kind of go from thing to thing. I need the balance, I admit. But I would t change the things I have gone through for anything…I have a relationship with God now. And sometimes in the middle of the night, God come to visit. And I love and cherish those times. It is not the only time I hear him or feel his presence, but I cherish them. God bless you…sounds like God has put together a good team in you and your husband.

  6. I love this so much! I tend to be a Martha, but it’s so nice to know that I can be who God made me to be and keep my heart and mind focused on Him. It reminds me of Proverbs 4:27, which has been on my heart lately. Comparison really is the thief of joy, but it’s so easy to do. Especially as a writer. Thank you for this!

  7. Oh yes, Lord, remind me to choose your peace and presence even as I “get stuff done!” May my heart be turned to you more and more, until I am continually practicing your presence (like Brother Lawrence). Thank you, Shannon, for a very meaningful post!

  8. Abba Daddy, thank you for calling us to rest even in the midst of our busyness-to always acknowledge you are present at all times-loving us to be your beloved as you are our beloved!

  9. Great post, Shannon. I too go into action mode, however, I am learning to do this from Peace and His place, not mine. Dropping the comparisons and to turn Him. I am learning.

  10. Shannon,

    Loved this: “The grass is always greener where you water it.” I believe we must do what we can with our God given talents. Some of us are Marys – wanting to be with the people in the room. I, like you, am a Martha. I want to spring into action & do something. The world needs both Marthas & Marys. Each one has special unique talents to lend to any situation.

    ‘When we compare and complain, we choose to entertain thoughts of worry and distraction. God doesn’t want worried disciples. He wants us out there showing the love of God to all people. I pray we can all use our talents equally and enjoy each other without playing the comparison game!

    Blessings 🙂

  11. Thank you, Shannon! These are now in my Quotes Journal:

    Comparison always steals our peace, replacing it with pride or shame.

    The grass is greener where you water it.

  12. As is always the case God’s perfect timing that I should read your writing today. Been “feeling” shadows of jealousy toward a friend at church. I’ve confessed to God I don’t want to have these feelings as she is a lovely person! And asked Him to please do radical surgery in me to remove this burden. Your words to take my eyes off the Mary and focus on being obedient and use the abilities He created me with, was just a beautiful reminder of what I knew but had lost track of. Thank you Father for speaking to me through Shannon’s words. Thank you Shannon. xx