Choosing the most important thing

“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 NASB

It was a can’t-take-another-thing kind of day. Kids were wild, life was running amok, caffeine consumption was too high and relief too low. I wanted to retreat to be by myself, when I probably should have been stewarding my heart better. I couldn’t figure out how to get a handle on the day…. or myself.

And that’s when I heard it. 

The still small voice. 

It wasn’t writing on the wall, an audible voice, the wind, or wilds….it was in the stillness: 

“Give me 5 minutes”

I was torn in half. Part of me knew that if God-almighty is asking  you for five minutes, you give Him five minutes. And the other part of you genuinely feels guilty because even though he is asking, you don’t feel like you’ve got 5 minutes to spare. So I did what any busy person would do….I gave 5 minutes…. but I gave it grudgingly, and with the thought that I could use the results to supercharge me, to get everything else done. 

I was wrong. 

I put on one of my very, favorite-est instrumental songs. And I simply sat in the presence of God. 

No agenda was accomplished.

No to-do list was mapped out. 

Nothing got fixed, planned, or taken care of. 

Except the most important thing: time with my Father, Creator, Sustainer, King and the one who is the best thing that has ever happened to me. 

Lemme tell you, he can do a lot in 5 minutes. That five minutes changed me forever. 

I felt like I could breathe. I felt like hope was restored. I felt the shift from the temporary to the eternal. And most of all, I was reminded how good God is, how present he is willing to be and how undeniably much we need him. The world did not fall apart in five minutes, and it also showed me I can spare the time, even when I think I can’t.

We can’t allow the clamor to outweigh the call. And we are called to come to the feet of Jesus first. 

We are doing Jesus, others and ourselves a disservice if we’re living our lives on our own terms, fueled by our own strength. God calls us to love him above all else. And he desires to draw near to us as we draw near to him. Not to accomplish everything on our to-do list and make time with him an afterthought.

But here’s the thing; five minutes is a gateway. You’re allowed to stay for longer, I promise.   

We can’f fully enjoy our time with him if we are bustling past him every day. Our hearts cry for more of him, knowing he is what we need. It’s all about him. It never wasn’t. But more than punching our time clock for what we think he wants…..we place our time and hearts on the altar so our agenda of “hustle and bustle” is laid down, and choosing the good part, like Mary, is taken up. Even if all you feel like you can spare is a few minutes, take those minutes and watch what he does. Let a few moments lead to more, and remember this: you’ve got nothing better to do, than spend your time with Jesus.

So much love,

Joy