“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better…” Luke 10:41-42

Have you noticed how large the portions are in many restaurants? They are often so large that I end up taking home a “to-go box” to finish later.  Many times my wife and I split a meal with plenty to eat for both of us.  Life, like many restaurants, seems to dish out a lot more than we can handle when we let it.

You’ve probably been asked the question, “So what’s on your plate today?”  It’s a question we would all do well to stop and think about. What is on my plate and is it what should be on my plate?  America is a fast-paced, fill up the time culture.  Young parents aren’t the only ones often trapped in this life and relationship-sucking way of living.  Those of us who are older are just as susceptible.  (My neighbor told me this morning, “This retirement thing is running me ragged. My life is a lot busier now than it ever was when I was before I retired.”)

Martha would have fit well in our culture, but Jesus reminder her that there was something better.  I wonder how many of us really believe Jesus?  The things we put on our plate are our choice.  Jesus said Mary “chose” what was better.  Perhaps it’s time to look at our plate and see if what we have chosen to put on it is what is better.

My 10-year old grandson grabbed my hand the other day while I was working and worrying about all the things on my plate that day. “Come on, Papa…I want you to come play with me.” As inconvenient as it seemed at the time, I’m glad I chose the better way. I need to pay more attention to what I put on my plate both in terms of quantity and value. How about you?

GRANDPAUSE: Author Mark Buchanan discovered that the Chinese join two characters to form a single pictograph for busyness: heart and killing.  (From Not So Fast by Ann Kroeker)