Read:
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 that 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 few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
~Luke 10:38-42
Consider:
Well… that passage of scripture pretty much gets straight to the point, huh? It cuts right to the core of my very being every time I read it. I know it to be true and yet still… I am just like Martha.
It’s easy to judge her from where we sit. We tell ourselves that if we were in her shoes we would’ve been like Mary… at the feet of Jesus ready to listen to His every word, but would we really have?
The thing is we can choose to beat ourselves up about how “Martha” we are, or we can choose to do something about it. Our lives are full of distractions. We forget what truly matters and often! We get thrown off course so easily, some days before we even get out of bed. Jesus tells Martha, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better.” We too need to start choosing, “what is better.” We need to stay focused on Him first and we need to be intentional about how we’re going to do that.
So… how are we doing to do that?
The truth is, there is a time and a place for cooking, cleaning and chores. We all know that (and probably all too well). The question is, are we valuing the perfection of our homes, dinner parties and/or our children’s birthday parties over the time we spend with Jesus? Is He the one we go to when the laundry baskets are full and the sinks are stacked high or is He an after thought once the house is shiny again? Are we running around in chaos trying to make everything and everyone around us perfect or are we taking the time to remember the One that is perfect?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 4:6-7Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on Him while He is near.
~Isaiah 55:6
Breathe:
Breathe in His grace and mercy…exhale the need to be perfect…
How do you stay focused on what really matters in your life?
What distracts you from Jesus and how can you put those distractions behind you?
Pray:
Lord, in a world full of distractions, help me to stay focused on you. I pray that I would be intentional each day to remember perfection is not the goal but a life that puts you before everything else is. I pray that I am a woman that isn’t afraid to have a messy house sometimes if it means I get to spend time with you.
Today’s post was written by Amanda Sanders.
Amanda has been married to her high school sweet heart Matt for 11 years. Together they have three kids ages 8, 6 and 3. In this season of life, Amanda spends most of her time drinking coffee, teaching children, doing laundry and repeating herself. Occasionally, she has some time for working out, reading for leisure and writing. You can find her on Sunday mornings worshiping at our Real Life UCF campus.
Follow along with our Lent Reading Plan HERE!