Its beginning got look a lot like?
Chaos! Okay so the song says Christmas, but if you are living in the universe I live in? Christmas=chaos. Unfortunately!
Shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking, baking, performances, class parties, open houses?
Every year on December 26, I think the same things?
I wish I would have slowed down.
I wish I would have spent more time celebrating advent, reading the bible, praying.
This is the season that tempts us to lean heavy into our ?Martha? tendencies. You know Martha, from the bible, (Luke 10:38-42) the one who was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She was in the chaos?.but her sister Mary had chosen what is better.
Mary was sitting and listening. And to whom was she listening? Jesus, you know that baby in the manger, the one who does miracles, the one on the cross, and the one who left the tomb empty.
Sitting and listening. When is the last time I sat and listened? Listened to Jesus. Not the radio, the TV, friends, a podcast, just listened to Jesus?
What a great time to listen. As we prepare our hearts for December 25, what would it look like if we sat and listened? Listened well.
The hard part about listening is the not talking part, the not scrolling through a screen, not reading, just being still and listening. It?s much harder than one would imagine.
Oh, these brains that love to make lists, to plan the future, to work it all out, they just won?t shut off. And yet? being still is the one thing that calms the chaos. The chaos in our hearts.
So I challenge you and me to take 10 minutes a day and listen. Have a note pad handy and if something pops in your mind, like something really important, like ?we are out of coffee,? just jot it down and go back to listening. But keep the pencil handy, because if you listen, He?s going to tell you things, things that you will want to write down.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord?s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ?Lord, don?t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!? ?Martha, Martha,? the Lord answered, ?you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed?or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.? -Luke 10:38-42