Two men working in a factory were talking. 鈥淚 know how to get some time off,鈥� said one.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淗ow are you going to do that?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲atch,鈥� he said, and climbed up on a rafter. The foreman asked what he was doing up there, and the man replied. 鈥滻鈥檓 a light bulb.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 think you need some time off,鈥� the foreman said, and the first man walked out of the factory. After a moment, the second man followed him.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲here do you think you鈥檙e going?鈥� the foreman shouted.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 can鈥檛 work in the dark,鈥� he said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That is one way of getting out of work. In Luke 10:41 Mary is sitting at the Lord鈥檚 feet while Martha complains to Jesus that she is left to do all the menial tasks. Jesus points out that Mary has chosen the better role 鈥� the presence of the Lord trumps all the busy preparations that can muddle up our patience.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Imagine a couple getting ready for weekend visitors. The husband and wife divide up tasks and schedule activities to free up the time to visit when the guests arrive. Then time gets short and tasks get long. Patience is elusive and tempers rise.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The most important thing here is not the coming guests. What we offer each other in a family is more important than what we offer any visitors. The presence of Jesus in each member of the family trumps the expected visitors.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Jesus is already here. Let鈥檚 bask in the joy of that. We can avoid the low level controversies and fix our hearts on Jesus constant presence. 鈥淚nvited or not, God is present,鈥� Carl Jung.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I know a man who plans preparations so that he will have time for a rest before his company arrives. 鈥淲hat can I offer my guests if I am burned out,鈥� he says. What we offer each other in a family is more important than what we offer any visitors.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Jesus is the guest who will come perhaps when we do not expect Him. 鈥淚 will stand at my guard post鈥� and keep watch, to see what he will say to me鈥� (Habakkuk 2:1).
In the Martha and Mary story Martha snaps at Jesus for letting Mary visit with him and leaving her to do all the household tasks. Notice that Jesus loved her nevertheless and gently led her thinking in another direction: 鈥淢artha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things鈥� only one is needed. Mary has chosen the better part.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Our love for others should carry us through those times of stressful preparation. It is then we need to be Christian and put love ahead of pettiness.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Living our lives against the eternal backdrop of God鈥檚 presence will help us be grateful for the gifts of creation and the gift of each other. In the Lord all burdens are lightened.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It is all a matter of perspective. Two men labour side by side in the hot sun. One of them is laying bricks; the other is building a cathedral.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest鈥� my yoke is easy and my burden is light鈥� (Matthew 11:28-30).
