Mary and Martha. What comes to your mind? One is busy, one is devoted. One is annoyed, one is captivated. One is preoccupied, one is fully present. I know Martha gets the bad rap and Mary is the one we all want to be. Unfortunately, I think Martha represents the majority of people. The road is narrow and only a few find it, what road? The road of devotion to Christ above all else, the road that leads us to captivity, in the good sense, a captive of His love, His presence, His words, His ways. And the road that finds us fully present, not hurried, distracted or checking off the right box. Graham Cooke says this: "Devotion is about being not about doing. It's about being Mary not Martha. There is no place to which we must rush; we're already there. God is in us and we are in the presence of God."
Pretty simple. But oh so difficult. Yesterday I had to quiet my mind several times while sitting in that place of devotion. Oh, the list of things that needed to get done before my granddaughter is born, which by the way, is any minute now. It was difficult for me to stay present with the Lord and to just 'be'. Eventually I got there, but I realized that I am a task oriented person. As much as I love people and relationships, I can seriously set that aside for the task at hand. I've done it with the Lord, and oh boy, I've done it in my relationships.
To be in a relationship means to be present, show up! How many times do I stop what I am doing and present my whole self when someone is talking to me? Now you know I am not speaking to our public self here, the one we present to the world. The one that gets spiffed up, cleaned up and all sparkly before we leave the house. Nope. I am speaking to the one that is tired, overwhelmed with responsibility, maybe at times a little resentful of the load I carry, the one that perhaps is holding out til I get my needs met, and the list goes on. That's the person I am talking about. How present am I at home? The place where the rubber meets the road? How present am I when I am babysitting my granddaughters? Am I trying to sneak a few tasks in while they are here, or am I on the ground building castles? Is the task more important than the person in front of me? That's the question. And honestly, I have to admit yes. There may be many reasons for that. Some as mentioned above may have tentacles wrapping themselves around unresolved issues, and others may be because I value a clean house more than time with you. Ouch. Double ouch!
Martha was not at fault for wanting to meet the needs that were required the day Jesus came to town. Of course those things needed to get done. I think it comes down to what we value the most. Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. That isn't just about money...that is about life! And I realize that if I treasure the Lord and my family as much as I say I do...my devotion, my willingness to just be, and to be present, must change! I think it must begin with resting a little more, in my spirit, that is, laying down the lists, the tasks, the have to's, and can I say, laying down the control? We all know what that looks like, but seriously, resting in the Lord's presence and being quiet is harder than it seems for a task-oriented-controller-of-time. Focusing on the person at hand, not the task, the Lord included, seems to me would be a lot better way to live. More peaceful, more loving, more fulfilling, more connected to God and to others, and who doesn't want that? Lord, teach me the art of being!
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