I was reading Luke 10 this morning and the lesson from the Scriptures for today, for me at least, is this: don’t allow myself to become distracted from the one thing that matters most in life – Jesus Christ.
You know the story. It’s the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus and his disciples were at the house of Mary and Martha, and Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching while Martha was busy and distracted trying to attend to all their guest. Martha wasn’t doing anything wrong, she was simply trying to show good hospitality to her visitors.
After a while, Martha complained to Jesus that her sister, Mary, was not helping her attend to the needs of their house guests. The answer Jesus gave surprised Martha I’m sure. Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
In other words, Mary’s priorities were right. She was concerned with what/who mattered at the time. Martha on the other hand was distracted from the one thing – that being Jesus himself – that mattered. She was distracted by all the things that could stand to wait. Her priorities in that moment were misplaced.
What an excellent reminder for this time of year. It’s easy to get distracted with all the busyness this time of year brings from the one thing that matters the most – Jesus Christ. Are your priorities right? Are mine? We don’t need to be so busy during this Christmas season that we lose sight of why we celebrate. And why is it that we celebrate? Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has come.