Doing versus Being: The Mary/Martha Question

photo credit: Creative Commons

Distraction. 

This is a BIG problem for me. 

I turn on the computer to write and the next thing I know I am playing a game, watching a video on YouTube and checking my Facebook. 

Life is full of distractions. 

Kids, spouses, broken down cars, illness....I could go on, but you get the point. 

What is important? What is essential? 

Mary and Martha learned this lesson from Jesus himself. Martha was distracted. Martha was busy cooking, cleaning, preparing and in general serving her guests (Jesus and the crew) while Mary just wanted to spend time with her friend and Lord. Jesus said Mary got it right. Martha missed the mark. 

Been there. Done that. Didn't even get a T-shirt. 

Recently, talking to a friend, we discussed the "busy work" of ministry. He kept saying "I've seen more done with less." He meant that our bulletins, video productions, and other "stuff" of ministry are not the things that change lives, but Jesus is. An encounter with God is what grabs our attention and keeps it: not the stuff we get handed before a service starts. Sometimes the "production" of ministry can be a distraction. 

So why do we get caught up in the doing, when getting into God's presence the thing we should be seeking. 

I know I risk sounding a little too "zen", but we are humans and we need to be a little more "be"ing (human be-ing).  

We should be getting into His presence and just being ourselves. All that entails. The good, the bad and the ugly. Let God change us from the inside out. He knows when we are "faking" it for everyone else anyway, right? 

What people see, (the busy work- the distracting things) has nothing on the time we spend in our Father's presence. It has nothing on communing with God in spirit and in truth. It is putting on a show. Real life lived in God's presence is more important than living with the stuff you have or think you should have as a Christian. 

So let go of the distractions for a moment and really just be. Welcome God's presence and just sit there at his feet for a moment. Choose what is vital and important and let the busy work go. 

Now, how does that feel? 

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The Value of Distraction- Part Four of Prioritize Your Life Series

I cannot tell you how many times I have set down at my desk to write and something distracts me. It may be an e-mail, a Tweet, a text, or a Facebook post. Since I work at home, it could also be one of my children needing something, my Mother-in-Law wanting to talk, or my dog needing to go out. 

Distractions happen. 

These are the small things, and like the old adage, I try not to sweat the small things. What about the big things? 

What about a lost job, or a failed friendship? What about a sick child or a church split? These can be HUGE distractions. 

These things need to be addressed and even handled. These distractions (read test and trials) may make your priorities take a back seat FOR A MOMENT, but the reward of going through them may be greater than you think when they first rear their ugly head. 

James says this: “My brothers and sisters think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.”(CEB Version) 

Priorities are Standards 

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Priorities are standards. They are the things we hold in high regard. Our focus however can shift. Focus should be fluid. 

Think of driving a car. 

Your priorities in a car are: 

1. Arrive at your destination 
2. Drive Safely 
3. Obey Traffic Laws 

Your hands and feet are fully engaged in the tasks of steering and accelerating/braking. Your eyes however are roaming, fluidly, back and forth. They send signals to your brain that tell your hands and feet what to do. They see the car that is pulling out of McD’s drive-thru and they see the red light up ahead. They notice the baby in the back is gearing up for a raging fit and they see the toddler peeling the tint off the car window. 

Now, you could see those things as a distraction to your first priority, “arrive at your destination” or you could see these things as an opportunity to practice your skills as a driver and “drive safely”. 

The Value of Distraction

Sometimes distractions are worth it. Sometimes they are the thing that teaches us new things. Sometimes distractions are the way God reaches us when we need a little nudge of correction or redirection. 

Your priority remains the same. It will always be there. Sometimes it is not about where you are going, as much as how you get there. 

Enjoy the ride. 

How do you handle distractions?