Do you get distracted easily? Whew! I thought it was just me. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
The most distractions come when I try focusing on something especially important to me—time in prayer and Bible study. Thoughts that definitely could wait a while inevitably come and remind me to do something today. So, what do I do? Yes, I stop and put it down as a reminder. That’s right. I confess. I stop what I’m doing—the most important thing—to write down a reminder so I won’t forget. It’s quite frustrating, actually.
There are two sisters in the Bible to whom we easily relate. Sometimes I am more like Martha, and sometimes I am more like Mary. In Luke 10, Jesus is on His way to their home for a visit. Martha is busily preparing, wanting everything to be perfect when He arrives. When He does, Mary takes her position at His feet. Martha? She loses Mary’s help and has a panic attack of sorts. “Jesus, tell her to help me!” Jesus tells Martha to calm down because Mary is doing what she needs to be doing—the most important thing.
What was Mary doing? She was sitting at the feet of Jesus and taking in His every word. She was not distracted. She knew being in the actual, physical presence of the Lord is the most important thing in life.
So, how can I connect this story to present life? What does this mean to me? How am I challenged by this story?
Because distractions seem to be a frustrating norm for now, I began implementing a practice, which is slowly becoming a habit. I ask the Lord to remind me of tasks later in the day because I do not want to take my time away from Him. Guess what happens? He does! As a result, I am continually amazed and humbled at His many answers to prayer. As I was preparing for this blog, another thought came: Make time with the Lord also at night. This helps me focus and reflect at the end of the day and get in a posture of rest for sleep.
Our Faith Connections Challenge: Read the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. To whom do you most relate? What steps can you take to lessen the opportunity for distractions? Begin implementing a step this week.
Bonus: Interestingly, in John 11, when Martha and Mary’s brother, Lazarus, died and was resurrected by Jesus, Martha did not complain about Mary not helping her. Maybe she, too, learned the most important thing—sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Connections2Excellence 