Missed Moments

“Missed Moments”

By Zach Wood

Luke 10:38-42 NLT

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I was reading this story to my wife and kids recently and we were discussing how Martha missed the incredible moment that Mary took advantage of.  After reading this, it has been on my mind about how we often miss so many moments in life because we are so wrapped up into what we think is important.

Please note that in this story, Martha is not wrong in choosing to do something for Jesus.  She is not wrong in preparing a meal for Him.  She is not wrong in wanting to put as much time and effort into this preparation.  We all put lots of time into preparing things for other people.  We prepare to do a lot of things, whatever it may be.  The whole point here is that Mary chose what was more important.  Mary chose to take advantage of a moment that would not last long.  Jesus would soon be on His way somewhere else, but Mary took Him all in. 

Sometimes in life we do this exact thing.  God gives us moments in life where He wants us to just stop what we are doing and take it all in.  Kind of the “sunrise” moment I wrote about recently.  God gives us moments to take notice of things apart from our busyness of life.  We often get upset in life and ask God to do things with us and through us and then wonder why He isn’t showing us certain things.  I believe we often miss these moments because we are so wrapped up in our own things.  We are not wrong in trying to be productive and do great things for others.  However, God sometimes wants us to just “stop” and take in a moment with Him. 

I tend to miss a lot of moments for one reason or another.  Whether it is a moment with my wife, my kids, a friend who needs to talk or family member that needs something.  I always seem to have an excuse to keep me from something that is a little more important.  I often have to ask myself, “Is this really more important right now?” 

So, the next time you are busy with something that is important and needs to get done, make sure you are not passing up another moment nearby that God wants you to take in from your current busyness.