Martha and Mary Moments

While I was running with the girls on Sunday, I was thinking about the surprise party we had the night before for my sister-in-law. It was a lot of fun and many pitched in to make it happen. I then thought of how I spent my time at the party. While I visited, I was drawn to checking on the food and picking up dishes.  I was one step ahead to make sure the work was done, even though others would help.

As I continued running, the Bible story of Martha and Mary suddenly came to mind. When Jesus came to visit and spend time with sisters Mary and Martha, Mary sat, listened and engaged. While at the same time, Martha worked to make sure everything was prepared and in order. She never sat down to simply listen and fully engage since she was too busy working.

Every day, I have both Mary and Martha moments. And for those who know me, I am a pretty focused and goal-oriented person.  For over 20 years, I’ve spent a lot of time on my career and am proud of my accomplishments. But often times in the pursuit of the next pursuit, I get lost in work instead of enjoying the present moments.

As the story continues to play in my mind, I’ve concluded that we need to be both like Martha and Mary, to work hard and to engage in the present. And the real depth and meaning in each day comes from choosing relationship over transaction, to make the choice Mary made more often.