Does the stress of Christmas preparations overshadow your peace on earth and good will toward men? As we search Pinterest for the most creative ideas, run from store to store for the best gifts and try to decorate our home like Martha Stewart could we be missing the one thing we really need?
Speaking of Martha… there’s another Martha who almost allowed the distraction of preparations keep her from the one thing she really needed. She wasn’t preparing for a Christmas celebration but rather a dinner party where the guest of honor was none other than Jesus. As she rushed around trying to prepare the perfect meal her frustration mounted because her sister Mary wouldn’t leave Jesus’ side to help her.
Martha had chosen to spend her time that day preparing the perfect dinner party for Jesus. Mary had chosen to spend her time soaking in the presence of Jesus. Both were good, but when Martha vented her frustration Jesus responded, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better”.
As we consider Martha’s story I wonder how many of us have often times taken on too many projects trying to create the perfect celebration of Christ’s birth; leaving us frustrated and exhausted. Has matching gift wrap, a perfectly decorated tree and finding a gift for the hard person on your list robbed you of the peace that comes from spending time at the feet of Jesus?
Every Martha Stewart “wanna be” can experience the one and only thing she really needs on Christmas by giving herself these three gifts:
- The gift of permission to release perfectionism.
- The gift of permission to take time alone with Jesus.
- The gift of forgiveness Jesus offers when we admit that we've gotten our priorities out of whack.
Martha may have never considered that there was a better choice. What is keeping you from knowing that the better choice for your time today is at His feet? Don’t be robbed of the only thing you really need during Christmas.
