I woke yesterday morning–Easter Sunday–and was several trains of thought into the day, while yet lying in bed, before it dawned on me: I had yet to acknowledge my Risen Lord. Instead of “He is risen!” being the first thought that popped into my brain, my waking mind had immediately turned to my to-do list. Company was coming, and I’d gone to bed the night before with several things left undone. Thankfully, I mused, activities at church began 45 minutes later than usual, so that was to my benefit.
Talk about Martha! Wish for Mary! The thought of the sisterly pair from Luke 10 had flitted through my mind Saturday night before bedtime too. As I realized my Martha heart yesterday morning–she was the sister who got all in a snit when Jesus came for dinner–the Bible says she was “distracted”; Mary, her sibling, was sitting at Jesus’ feet, taking in His heart as she listened to His words, while Martha was in the kitchen, too busy with the “practical things” to ponder Jesus–I also recognized that there are times I need to have a Mary heart behind Martha hands.
So, how does that come to pass?
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I can cultivate quiet while I’m about my work. I recall that in the blank space left by turning off the radio as I worked on Saturday, I found myself singing hymns. I don’t usually sing in competition with the radio when it’s on. I know that my mind goes in entirely different directions in the quiet than when I’m working to the background of Rush Limbaugh or NPR or WOWO.
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I can cultivate conversation with my Lord. A posted Scripture verse above the sink might serve as a conversation starter. I have even employed the method of setting the kitchen timer hourly to bring my heart back to the conversation. I can turn every concerned thought or –gasp!–worry into a prayer, a question–running my life by my Lord on a moment by moment basis.
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I can simply stop–stop to listen, stop to give thanks for the moment, stop to recognize the big picture in which that moment is a speck.
If Martha had been eavesdropping on the conversation between Mary and Jesus, might she have had a different reaction when she entered the room?
Lord, help my heart to listen, even as my hands do the mundane of this, and every, day. Amen.
