by Rev. Velda Schirhart

Jesus longs for us to fellowship with Him and sit in His presence. He loves us dearly and wants good things for us. The problem is, we often are so distracted by our situation or circumstance that we find it difficult to be calm, settle down and focus on Him.

Jesus emphasizes the importance of simply spending time with Him and giving Him all of your attention. When He visits the home of Mary and Martha, Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and bask in His presence. Martha, however, ran around franticly preparing the meal and trying to make everything perfect for Jesus. Martha grew weary, frustrated, and angry with her sister, Mary, because she was doing all the work. She came to Jesus to complain that she was working so hard “for him” and Mary was doing nothing! She wanted Jesus to scold Mary and make her come help with the work. However, Jesus responded very differently than she expected.

The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset, troubled (anxious, worried, frustrated) pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they that important?  ^“Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her” (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus said Mary had chosen the better way. Focus on Jesus.