“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me?’
‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.'” Luke 10:38-41
Christmas is almost here! Are you peaceful, joyful, and excited? Or, are you stressed and feeling unprepared?
In the above reference, we find a situation where there is much to be done, (Jesus was coming to the house, you have never had a more important guest!) But Mary chose what was better: she chose to sit at the feet of Jesus.
When I make time for Jesus, Bible study, prayer, and quiet moments listening for God’s voice, somehow, everything important gets done. (I’m not claiming angels are cleaning my house while I’m in prayer, but the good Lord knows I am certainly open to that!) But somehow, I “find” pockets of time that more than compensate for the moments I took for Jesus.
Maybe an appointment was canceled, or the time I slated for helping with homework was not needed. Maybe I realized we could clean out the refrigerator for dinner instead of taking the time to cook.
God knows what we need to accomplish on a physical level; He created us! He knows we need to eat and have clean clothes to wear.
He also wants us to realize we need to take time with Him to meet our spiritual needs. I can’t be all God is calling me to be on my own. I need to spend time with Him, letting Him mold me into the person He envisioned when He created me.
When I spend time with Him I am more patient, more caring, more loving. I am a better wife, mother, and person.
So, with a list of things to accomplish between now and Christmas, I need to first rest my spirit at the feet of Jesus. Let Him order my tasks. And allow Him to fill me with joy and peace- which I won’t find anywhere else!
It’s more important that my heart is focused on the celebration of God’s love than the desire for my house to be perfectly decorated and immaculately clean for Christmas dinner.
And, that my heart truly rejoices as my tongue speaks the words “Merry Christmas!”
Reflections:
1) When do I allow stress to overtake my faith?
2) Identify those periods and interventions to take to halt that distraction.
3) Identify how to implement daily moments “at the feet of Jesus”.
4) Identify how to take those moments when you are not in your regular schedule- like when you have off for the holidays!
5) Thank God for communicating His great love for us, by showing us He understands our physical and spiritual needs.
Thank you reading! Please return by Monday, December 31 for the next post. Merry Christmas!