Readings
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them round your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favour and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:1-6)
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”(Luke 10:38-42)
Thought
Yesterday was one of those days when I had a lot I wanted to get done. In my head I had a list of jobs that I wanted to complete before the end of the day and writing today’s thought for the day was, of course, one of them. Firstly, I decided that I would write it in the afternoon, as that would give me time in the morning to think it all through. Then came the issue of all the other important things that I needed to do. There was the conservatory floor that needed cleaning (enough to say that mum’s cat sleeps there and it needed a good clean), then there were the birds that needed feeding, the greenhouse that needed opening and plants that needed watering, after that there was washing to be done, a dinner to cook, washing up to do and then more gardening.
The afternoon arrived quickly and it was a beautiful day in Lincoln, so lovely that all I wanted to do was be in the garden, not inside the house sitting in front of the computer writing. But writing was exactly what I needed to do, so eventually I put down the trowel, put the unwanted plants that I had been digging up in the garden waste and headed indoors to put the computer on. Once I was sat in front of the computer there were other important distractions to take my attention. There were emails to check and finances to update, all very important, but not what I was supposed to be doing.
Finally, I started writing my thought for the day, the thing that I was supposed to be doing. It wasn’t that any of the other things that I had done were not important or worthy activities in themselves, but it was just that by doing them I wasn’t doing the one activity that I needed to do. I was reminded of the passage in Luke’s gospel when Jesus visited the house of Mary and Martha. Martha was so busy doing the important things that she missed that the most important thing was that Jesus was with them, and the more time she could spend with him the better it would be.
In our busy lives we must be careful that the important and good activities that we do don’t distract us from the most important of all and that is to spend time with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we make time in our days to spend time with them then like Mary, we will have chosen the right thing to do.
Prayer
May I always find time in my day to spend it with God.
Amen
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