Good morning! Today starts a boys weekend with my son and we are super excited! Last time my wife went away, Josh and I went to the lighthouse, the planetarium, an ice cream place we never go to, and a BBQ restaurant for dinner. What makes this absolutely crazy is that when Mer is home, he NEVER wants to do anything!
She was so happy for us, but also so jealous! She would have loved to do any one of those things with us – but sadly, we have not been back to any of those places since Josh and I were there last year! We do many fun things as a family together, but like so many of you, our life is full!
It seems like whenever you think you have time to breath, something else comes around the corner and says, “Nope, Not Today!” We live in a society that is constantly on the go. But we have to do our best to not be so busy that we miss opportunities to spend time with the people we love!
There is a story in the Bible where this woman, Martha, had opened up her home to Jesus and his disciples. Martha was distracted by the preparations that had to be done, but when she looked over at her sister, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to what he was saying!
Put yourself in Martha’s shoes for a minute. Here she is making sure the house stays tidy, the food is prepared (and delicious), the guests are comfortable, etc…
How upset would you be at your sister? I’d probably say something like, “Why don’t you stop being so lazy and get over here to help me!” But Mary was not concerned about those things, she just wanted to be with Jesus! Martha was so annoyed, so she went over to Jesus looking for His help!
“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Luke 10:40
The audacity Martha displays here is mind boggling. “Lord, don’t you care?” Martha was just concerned about herself and all the things that had to be done.
This is something that I can totally relate to. I have often found myself so involved in the tasks that need to be completed, that I don’t even recognize someone else is in the room. Every so often when I am in the car with Josh, he will start rambling about something (normally Fortnite or Brawlstars) and I have to tell him to start again because I wasn’t listening. My mind fixates on something I forgot to do or still need to do that I lose focus of what really matters – spending time caring about the things that are important to him!
Mary on the other hand, she knew what was more important! She knew that there would be time to do the dishes and cleaning tomorrow, but Jesus was here now!
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41-42
Whoa! This is not the response that Martha was expecting! There are so many principles that can be applied from these two short verses. Jesus calls out the fact that she is doing many things when only a few things are needed. How many times do we find ourselves doing things that keep us so busy, but afterwards realize that it really wasn’t that important.
Or how many times to we stop for a moment to prioritize the things that we allow to fill our lives? There may be things in our lives that need to be released so that we have more time for “what is better.”
I think about the times when my family comes to visit for a weekend. Mer and I usually plan out easy meals ahead of time so that we can get the most out of spending time with them while they are here, rather than being “distracted by the preparations.”
Now my family is pretty special to me, but they are NOT Jesus! If I want to make sure I’m not distracted when my family is around, how much more prepared should I be when there is an opportunity to spend time with Jesus?!
The good thing for us is that God is always available to us! We don’t have just one opportunity, we have every opportunity to spend time with Him. I challenge you today, before the day gets away from you, to look at your calendar differently.
- Make two lists
- Busy – for the things that just take up your time with no value added to your life
- Better – for the things you do that are beneficial to growing in your relationship with God
- Sort the things you have to do today and in the upcoming week into one of those two lists
- Begin to pray about the things on your ‘Busy’ list. That God would help you free up time to do things that are ‘Better’ for you!
Heavenly Father, thank You for putting breath in our lungs today! We don’t want to waste one minute doing something that does not positively impact our relationship with You. Help us to not be so distracted by the busyness of life that we miss out on special moments with You! Thank You for the wisdom You provide in prioritizing our lives and the strength to focus on the things that really matter! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 