She had a sister called Mary, who
was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha
was distracted with all her preparations. (Luke 10:39-40)
Sometimes I feel like the bug named Harry in the movie “A
Bugs Life.” If you’re not familiar with
the movie, Harry is the bug that gets zapped because he’s so smitten by the
beautiful blue light, he can’t resist flying into it. He’s easily distracted.
I also can be easily distracted by the many things going on
around me. For example, when I sit down
to pray or study God’s word, my thoughts often go something like this…. “I
really need to clean the gutters…I wonder what’s in the fridge for lunch…I need
to organize the garage….”
And many times, if I’m not focused enough, those thoughts
will win out and I’ll get up from sitting at Jesus’ feet and walk towards the
blue light, only to get zapped by the challenges of life because I didn’t
invest the necessary time in allowing God to mold and shape my heart.
As we’ve looked at this week, Mary was a great example of someone
who recognized the importance of positioning herself at the feet of Jesus and
not letting distractions pull her away. What
was her secret? I believe, in part, it
was because she recognized the unique opportunity in front of her. Emmanuel, “God with us,” was in her home and
she wasn’t going to let that opportunity slip by.
We have an even greater opportunity than Mary. Jesus has taken up residence in our
heart. Our spirit lives in union with
His. What a tragedy to let that
opportunity slip by because we allow the temporal things of this world to consume
our attention.
Our time on earth is short and God has a specific plan and
purpose for our lives, but we can’t be effective out in the world, without continually
retreating to the feet of Jesus to be taught, transformed, and equipped.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be a Mary!
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