Monday

 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…”

Read: Luke10:40-41

The mood of evenings in my house can be strongly influenced by my attitude toward my list of To Do items. Many nights, after a long day at work, I just want things to be done. I’m tired of cleaning up after people and I just want the kids to play (silently) by themselves while I toss the dishes in the dishwasher and brush crumbs off the counters. But the kids are inevitably loud, in the way, and pestering me to play with them. And I am increasingly cranky and, like Martha, I whine about wanting someone to come help me, especially on the occasional night when my husband is gone at a meeting and I'm home alone with the kids.

Some nights I invite the little girls to help with the dishes. The bowls are haphazard, the plates spread out too far, and the littler girl takes the dirty silverware out faster than the bigger one can put it in. But those nights are full of laughter, conversation, and togetherness. And even though it takes longer than if I were to do it myself, I emerge energized, happy, and marveling in the delight of the little lives I’m watching develop.

Preparations? They have to be done. Work? Inevitable. Martha’s downfall wasn’t that she worked hard or wanted things to be done well. Where Martha went astray was by getting distracted by the work she was faced with, to the point that she worried and fretted about too many things. -AB

Lord, reveal to me those things that I worry too much about, and help me to be completely present with those around me to enjoy the fullness of relationship that you demonstrated in your time on earth. Amen.