I pressed down on the gas pedal as my hands gripped the steering wheel. “Come on, Come on. Can’t you go any faster?” I mumbled at the car ahead of me. I was late and no one seemed to care that I had places to go and appointments to keep.
“For crying out loud, 45 is not the speed limit!” I spouted off to the driver. Then the automobile slowed, and I realized my car was way too close, so I eased off the gas pedal allowing some distance between our vehicles. I leaned back into my seat, loosened my grip on the steering wheel, and took a slow deep breath in and out.
“Uhg, I need to take it a notch down.” I told myself. All morning I felt like I was running against time, the more I fought to move faster the slower I seemed to advance. Why is there never enough time in the day to do everything I want to do?
It got me thinking about the woman named Martha who welcomed Jesus into her home. She had a sister, Mary who spent most of the time sitting next to Jesus listening to his stories. Martha was scurrying around with the meal preparations and probably felt agitated because her sister, Mary was lounging when she should be working.
Martha decided to speak her mind and asks Jesus, “Lord do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
Martha must have been peeved. But Jesus answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Is my hurrying around benefiting me? Not really. Just like Martha I have lost sight of what is important.
The car in front of me slowed down almost to a crawl, the taillight began to blink, and the vehicle turned into a parking lot of an assisted living facility. As I passed by, I noticed the driver was an older lady wearing a sad face, barely able to see over her steering wheel.
Instantly I felt chastened. Did I cause this lady’s sadness? Is she seeing her spouse or a friend at the home? How insensitive I was. No wonder Jesus told Mary to slow down and appreciate what is good. When I move fast, I miss the small things in life that could make it special for me or for someone else.
Now that Thanksgiving is behind me it is time to prepare for Christmas and I have a list of all this stuff I want to accomplish to make the Season great. But, like Martha will I run around trying to get all this STUFF done on my list like a crazy woman trying to make this a memorable Christmas?
Will I get all the decorating in the house done? Will I get the lights up outside? What about the gifts I need to send off and have under the tree? Oh, and the Christmas Cards that I slave over to send to every person I have known and still have an address for. Can I get it all done?
Lord, help me to choose what is good that cannot be taken away from me. Grant me opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life that will add a little cheer to their day. Bless me with the time I spend with the people I love and care about. Every time I hear the word Christmas, cause me to pause and be reminded that Jesus is the reason for the Season.
How about you? Got a long list? Maybe this year take a different approach. Try slowing down and make your time count because once it’s gone you can never get it back. Don’t let the STUFF rob you of your time that could be spent making special memories.
Put a smile on someone’s face. Give a thoughtful gestor, a gift, a helping hand, or maybe it’s just your time with someone. This is what is good and shall never be taken away from you.
“The best and Most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller
Gwen
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