Wednesday Wonderings

Why do we spend so much time with things that don't matter? Why does the mundane capture our attention? Why does the temporal take precedence over the eternal?

It's so easy for me to get caught up in "getting things done". Probably because there is so much to do. I have four kids; I have four kids who are 7 and under. I have a 7-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a four-month-old. I have a household to cook, clean, and clothe. I coordinate with our renters. I drive to CCS 3 times a day for carpool. I write for an online newsletter. I have a tight budget to keep, schedules to coordinate, and 116 teeth to brush (give or take a few!) My "to-do" lists can get pretty long, and they never get finished. Ever. No matter how short I make them, they never get finished. They have their own notebook (I tried to make myself feel better by getting a lovely pink moleskine to write my lists in). So it's no wonder I get caught up in accomplishing tasks.

All these duties are reality, but God clearly directs us to not worry, to store up treasures in heaven, to choose the better thing, Martha. And I've never heard one person say at the end of their life, "Really, I look back and wish I would have cleaned my kitchen better and just got that one last load of laundry folded."

So what is it? Why is it so easy to shift my focus from the eternal—relationships—to the material? It's not like I'm a perfectionist or obsessively clean (really not that!) I think it has to do with the misappropriation value and accomplishment. Reality is my value is determined by the worth God places on me. Well, He sent His son to die for me, by no virtue of my own, I have great value because God says I do. But this world, and our culture in particular, really loves accomplishment. We even have a name for it—Puritan Work Ethic. We ask each other, "What have you been doing?" "What did you do today?" (Please don't misinterpret this to think we should work. Work is a gift from God and we should work with all heart as unto the Lord. This is a different thing.) But here's where we run into trouble: when your value comes from your accomplishments instead of who values you. When I start seeing my life that way, it becomes so easy to get caught up in chores and errands, because it makes me feel better about myself. "Look at what I've done!" But Jesus, He calls us to something different.

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But 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!"

⁴¹"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but only one thing is needed.^a]">[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

My value doesn't increase, only my love for Jesus. I remind myself this so while the laundry basket sits in the living room and the dishes sit on the counter, I will sit to read with my kids or spend some time with God. I get to spend eternity with them, and thankfully, not the laundry.