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But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Luke 10:40 ESV
Oh No, not Mary and Martha again…those of us with Martha tendencies already know that Mary was doing the “good thing.” It’s not easy but we are working on it, right?
Distracted.
Did you know that in all the times that this story has been told not once has the word distracted smacked me in the face as much as it is right now? We are women; we pride ourselves on being able to multi-task. Some of us even joke that it’s just how “we roll.” Then we flitter and flounder about doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Distracted.
Me? No.
Ok, maybe.
Oh, alright…YES!
I know that I struggle with being distracted and chances are so do you. Buckle up girls…here we go! Are you starting to wiggle a little bit yet? Am I stepping on anyone else’s toes other than myself?
Let’s jump in on this for a minute so you can see why it is so important to know when we are distracted in our lives and ministry.
I did a little digging on what being distracted really means and according to Dictionary.com, it is this;
1. Having the attention diverted: She tossed several rocks to the far left and slipped past the distracted sentry.
2. rendered incapable of behaving, reacting, etc., in a normal manner, as by worry, remorse, or the like; irrational; disturbed.
Hang with me on this because this is why it is so important to understand what distraction does. Distraction keeps us from doing the great things that God has called us to do according to his purpose.
Hold the presses.
Did you catch that?
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESV
…according to his purpose.
When we spend time with distractions, we are doing our purposes…not His.
You know how I know this. Because I am caught in this trap all.the.time. You see, I firmly believe that it is not the “good” stuff that distracts us from the “great” stuff God has called us to do. Sit on that for a minute.
Think about it. The bad stuff does not suck you into the pit of distraction does it? It is the “good” stuff. You know, like running an event for the church, leading the PTA, being the room mom for your child’s teacher, launching a new project at work, singing on the praise team…and the list goes on. These are all good things in and of themselves, but when they keep us so busy from doing the great thing that God has uniquely designed for us to do…then, sweet sisters, they are just a distraction.
I love the book of Nehemiah and I found a sweet little nugget tucked away in the richness of Nehemiah’s story. This one short and powerful sentence. This one sentence has become the filter through which I am learning to sift the good for the great things God has specifically called me to do.
And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3 ESV
Right smack dab in the middle of this call on Nehemiah’s life he faced opposition at every turn. But instead of flitting and floudering around with a bunch of distractions Nehemiah simply said…”I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” He did not let the distractions keep him from the great work, not the good work, which God had called him.
I wonder how many more marriages saved, ministries started, families restored, and businesses rebuilt if we were able to sift through the good for the great. I can only imagine that we would probably be a little bit more like Mary and a lot more like the person God created us to be.
I don’t know about you sweet sisters…but as for me, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down” is now what I am going to use as I seek the great things God has called me to do according to His purpose…I pray it will be for you too.
Seeking JOY on the Journey,
Awesome post.
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Thanks so much Denise, I really appreciate your encouragement! ~ Melissa
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