![]() ![]() It’s a choice made in a particular set of circumstances. Choosing “the better part” is not, however, a one time choice. ![]() We don’t all have to choose the same “one thing.” What if there is a “better part” for you and a “better part” for me just like there is for Mary and Martha? And what if in wholeheartedly choosing the “one thing” our lives are enlarged and together we begin responding to the needs of one another and the world? I suspect that wholehearted presence is a key to choosing “the better part.” When we’re wholehearted the divided parts of our lives reunite. What if Martha could have chosen hospitality with the same wholeheartedness with which Mary chose sitting and listening? That just might have been the “one thing” for her, “the better part.” It simply means that at this time, in this place, and under these circumstances there is a better part to be chosen. And what if we gain traction when we choose “the better part?”Ĭhoosing “the better part” doesn’t mean the other parts are inferior or wrong. Maybe that’s what Jesus is talking about when he says, “There is need o f only one thing,” Maybe he’s talking about traction. What if the opposite of and antidote to distraction isn’t focus, working harder, or paying more attention but traction? Traction is what lets us move forward and get somewhere. Her many tasks have divided her into many parts. The distractions are not about what is happening around her but about what is happening within her. But Jesus doesn’t address the circumstances, he addresses Martha. She sees her distractions as her circumstances. Martha thinks if Mary would just help, get up and do some work, everything would be better. In what ways have you lost traction in your life today? And how will you get it back? Being more focused, paying better attention, rearranging our schedule, cutting down the to do list, getting some help, self-medicating, avoiding, or complaining are our usual remedies. When we’re distracted by many things we lose traction and our wheels are spinning. Think about distraction as dis-traction, the loss of traction. ![]() He’s recognizing what those distractions are doing to her. ![]() Jesus isn’t making a value judgment on the things that are distracting Martha. One is not better or more important than the other. Other times Jesus was active, on the move, in the midst of people, and busy teaching, healing, feeding 5000. Sometimes Jesus went off by himself to be alone, silent, and still to sit, pray, and listen to be present to his Father. He lives on a Mary-Martha spectrum, as do we all. I don’t think he is saying that Mary is right and Martha is wrong, or that it’s better to sit at his feet and listen than it is to prepare the house and table to welcome a guest. He’s making a diagnosis not a judgment.Īnd when he says, “Mary has chosen the better part” I don’t think he is opposing Mary, who sits at his feet and listens, to Martha, who is busy with many tasks. When Jesus says to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things,” I don’t think he’s making an accusation, he’s making an observation. Martha is a distracted driver, and that’s not a criticism of her. It’s not just dangerous, it’s exhausting. We’re driving through life with distractions. It’s not only about driving cars, it’s also a metaphor about how we are living. He said, “Mike, every driver in Uvalde is now a distracted driver.” It was one of those simple yet profound statements that has stuck with me. What are the many things about which you are worried and distracted today? What is dividing your life into parts and pulling you in different directions? And what are those things doing to you and your relationships?Ī few weeks ago I was talking with a friend who lives out of state. It’s often what happens when we feel overwhelmed and everything is out of whack. Chances are most of us are living a Martha kind of life. I wonder how many of us today feel like Martha, “worried and distracted by many things.” I do and I wouldn’t be surprised if you do too. Maybe she doesn’t even know what that “one thing” is. It’s as if there are a thousand different things in her heart and on her mind and she’s not able to give time, energy, and attention to the “one thing” needed. She’s being pulled in different directions. Many things have left Martha feeling troubled, anxious, and disturbed. “There is,” however, “need of only one thing.” Given everything that has happened the last three months in Uvalde, our nation, and the world, not to mention whatever has gone on in our personal lives, Jesus’ words to Martha (Luke 10:38-42) just might be the gospel understatement of the year. Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.” ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |