But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41-42 NASB
She is my first born by one minute and my only girl in a house full of rowdy boys. Time alone, just the two of us girls is rare, and after our hectic morning was a welcome treat. By the afternoon, my house showed all the signs of a busy morning of school and playtime. Household chores seemed to be mounting by the minute. My Type A Personality was beckoned by my to-do list. I wanted to dig in, get busy, cross some things off my list, and feel like I had “accomplished” something. After all, I only had one child at home with me and that should mean I could get even more done!
But this girl of mine, she looks at me and asks if we can just snuggle.
In that moment, looking into her blue eyes, I had a choice to make. My responsibilities certainly needed to be addressed, but so did she. In this divine moment, when the Holy Spirit pressed in and placed a stillness in my soul, I knew the right choice. The dishes would still be there and the laundry (unfortunately) would not fold itself. Those things could wait, but this moment would not. God has given me this precious child. Growing and changing faster than I could ever imagine, there will be a day when she will no longer want to snuggle with her mom. In the scope of eternity, our lives are nothing more than a vapor and can change in a moment’s time.
So I snuggled. At first, I felt restless as my mind raced to my responsibilities. But as the Lord quieted my soul, I knew I had chosen what’s better. In fact, I’d chosen the best. This moment, this God-ordained moment, was the only place that I should be.
Sadly, I get it wrong too many times. I get swept up in the current of this fast-paced life we all live, choosing service over stillness and work over worship. I want to choose what’s better and I want to choose it more often. My heart’s desire is to live with intention, being present for those whom I love the most and for the God who meets me where I am and brings me to where I need to be.
On that day, He met me knee-deep in to-do’s and brought my busy soul to a place of stillness and worship. And with a thankful heart, I snuggled my gift from above.
Choosing better,
Traci
I am from a small town in the state of Mississippi. I have a big family and when we get together we are very noisy and we have a big time. My husband, Michael, is from a big city in the state of Illinois. His family is small and their gatherings are quiet but eloquent. Both are wonderful but very different.
sharecroppers. So, naturally, she enjoyed all things country. One of her gifts was a decorative straw hat to hang on the wall. Another gift for her was an old butter churn, also for decoration. Well, being the gracious lady she was, she took the hat, put it on her head, grabed the butter churn, and started pounding away, singing, “coming butter come, come butter come”.