Sitting at His Feet

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 only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her". Luke 10:38-42

In life there are many things we have to do. As moms, when our babies are small we have to make sure they are fed and rocked and that their diapers are changed and they are bathed. As they get older we help with homework, take them to school, soccer practice/games etc. Then there is the housework, laundry, grocery shopping and making dinner. Not to mention the many other commitments we may have, such as mom's group, church/functions and ministries. The list goes on and on. In the midst of all that we feel God tugging at our heart to pray, worship, read the Bible, witness to our neighbors, and use the gifts he gave us to serve him. This list can seem very overwhelming and if we do not prioritize correctly we can find ourselves neglecting the most important things.

Prayer for example is one of the most important things God calls us to do. It puts in perspective all of the other tasks we have especially our ministries. When we neglect to pray and spend time listening to God, we lose sight of why we are serving him. We often miss the important instructions we need to make our ministry successful. Also we are not giving him the thanks and praise he deserves for everything he is doing in our lives.

Business is a lame excuse for not praying. We are too busy not to pray. God knows how busy we are and the limitations we have, but he wants us to make him the top priority. We need to acknowledge that we can do nothing without him. When we do God takes care of the details. Martha's only thought was on her work and how Mary wasn't helping her. Even though she was serving Jesus, she didn't hear anything he said. Mary on the other hand was just in awe of the Savior, and at that time just wanted to sit at his feet and soak in all his words of wisdom. Jesus said Mary had chosen what was better and it would not be taken from her. Don't let excuses cause you to miss all that God has for you and everything he wants to do in you and through you. Jesus said that only one thing is needed. Will you choose the better thing the way that Mary did. Try sitting at his feet today and see the difference it makes in your life.

Kim Ratcliffe