Make time for God
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I was re-reading Luke the other day and was struck by a passage that never made much of an impact before. It was the story of Martha and her sister Mary hosting Jesus in there house. As it goes -
"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)
Think about that. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Martha. A chance to sit and converse with the prophet of her age, the very son of God. What she could learn from even a few scant hours by his side, the effect it would have on her life, how vital and affirming such a visit could be for her soul.
And she's too busy fussing around the house to appreciate it.
I see the same problem plaguing many people today. In our culture of constant on-the-go work and communication, the lines between our downtime and work-time have become blurred. We're constantly busy, if not with work, with obligations like sports practices, meetings, group-events, gym schedules, and so on. There is hardly time for us to slow down take a breath, let alone concentrate on God.
At some point, busyness becomes an impediment to our Christian walk. Not just when we no longer make time for God in the way of Church, devotion, and prayer time, but when we fail in our other Christian duties as well. When we're too busy to help our friends when they need us. When we're too stressed out to listen closely to our spouse and concentrate on their needs. When we miss important moments with our children because we're busy chasing the brass ring.
It can also lead us into a judgmental attitude. The other thing that stuck out to me from that passage in Luke is how Martha tries to shame Mary, throwing her under the bus for not being as busy (distracted) as her. We have the tendency to do the same sometimes. We look at other people taking a day off or demurring from an obligation as slackers, as people who aren't making the most of their time and opportunity. Just like Martha, we subtly shame those we don't see as working hard enough to our standards.
But, slowing down is exactly what we should all be doing. Staying productive is important, but not when it comes at the expense of more important things in life. If we're going to re-prioritize and focus on what matters, we need to feel free to turn down obligations. To say "no thanks” when we know something will distract us or squeeze out time for more pressing matters in our life.
If Jesus came to your home this afternoon, would you stress out about still making it to your 3:00 meeting and hitting the gym before it gets crowded at 5:00? No. Hopefully, you'd do the smart thing and give him all the time in the world.
Clear your schedule, make time for God and your Christian life. It's the most productive thing you can do.
