Often, I get my relationship with God all mixed up. I would ask Him to do as I will instead of praying that I do His will. This kind of attitude is what drew a rebuke from Jesus to Martha. Martha wanted Jesus, or at least Mary, to also be caught up in her ‘busyness’ in the kitchen cooking up the food and preparing for a feast. She meant well. She wanted everyone to have a good time. But her idea of having a good time is to eat. Maybe the Lord just wanted time to rest and to talk and be with His friends. Mary chose the better part by simply being in the presence of Jesus. I also often get caught up in a flurry of activities, believing I am doing good. I need to slow down and rest in the Presence of the Lord. Santa Teresa de Avila, learning from Mary, shares with us her deep insight:
Nada te turbe, nada te espante todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda, la paciencia todo lo alcanza,
quien a Dios tiene nada le falta sólo Dios basta.
There are times though, I get too comfortable and begin to wallow into mediocrity. Still waters eventually become stale and even turbid. For water to stay fresh, it needs to be constantly stirred and aerated. In prayer, I ask to do God’s will and not ask God to do what I will. I should allow God to disturb my life every now and then, to stir it up and get me out of my comfort zone – the better for me to respond to His call and inspiration.I make as my own prayer, this prayer of Sir Francis Drake:
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Allowing God to disturb my life, I trust that He will guide me to bigger and better surprises and blessings in my life.
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42