Such a Frenzy

Follow this scenario.  You get a call from City Hall.  The mayor is coming to your house to give you an award for having the most beautiful yard in town. Spring rains have helped in keeping things green. Colorful flowers are blooming. The yard man has just finished his weekly trim on the grass and shrubs.  Everything looks beautiful but that phone call has put you into a sudden frenzy. 

Your mind is racing about things that need to be done before the mayor's arrival.  Perhaps the front porch needs swept. The garbage cans are still out by the curb. Your car in the driveway hasn't been washed in a couple of weeks. There is so much to do so you get the rest of the family to join your frenzy by delegating tasks that must be done before the special guest gets there. Suddenly your house is a bee hive of activity because you want everything to be perfect. 

Then you think of the sweat pants and tank top you are wearing. You can't have your picture taken on the award-winning lawn in clothes like that. And your hair! Sure you ran a brush through it this morning but when a dignitary like the mayor comes to your house, you want to look at least as nice as your lawn. 

All this thinking is climaxed by your wondering if you should serve refreshments.  Is there something you can "throw together" fast enough to pass for dignitary entertainment?

This reminds me of a story Jesus told about visiting in the home of sisters named Mary and Martha.  Look at Luke 10:38-42. Make no mistake about it. If you knew Jesus was coming to see you at your home, wouldn't there be some work to be done before his arrival?

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ 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!”
⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Are there things that put us in a frenzy and cause us to miss important opportunities?  Mary was a hostess that welcomed Jesus into her home and "sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said." Martha, likewise was a hostess that was so distracted with the preparations for the Lord's visit, she spent the time Jesus was in her presence "worried and upset."

What things are priority in your life that prevent you from spending quality time with the Lord? We choose what is better when we invite Jesus into our lives, our homes, our schools and our businesses, when we make him the priority. 

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