Laundry, dishes, cleaning. It seems like it never ends. The clothes piled up around me were just staring at me as I was sitting thinking what should I clean first? I picked up a pile of clothes and started hanging my shirts. I could hear a little voice in the distance calling out to me.  My 3 year old still likes us to put her to sleep. I thought if I don’t answer maybe she’ll just stop calling and I can hurry and finish my chores before bed.  As I continued to hang my clothes I turned around to an upset little toddler who startled me! She looked at me with her big brown eyes as she was twirling one of my shirts around her little finger and said “mommy all you do is work work work!” I quickly thought of that Rihanna song and why she would make an annoying song. Anyways, conviction came to my heart and immediately I dropped what I was doing, she wanted me to read to her and stay with her as she fell asleep and so I did.

I was reminded before I went to sleep that night, how Jesus must have felt when he visited Mary and Martha. Although both their hearts meant well, I’m sure all Jesus wanted was their attention and time. If you’re not familiar with the story you can pause here and read Luke 10:38-42. Basically, Jesus and His disciples have been out and about preaching and performing miracles when finally they arrive at Martha’s house.  As soon as Jesus entered and sat, there was Mary at His feet chatting with Him. The Bible says Martha was distracted. I can picture Martha frantically trying to whip something up in the kitchen and looking for her best plates to put out. There’s more to the story but I will stop right there. How many of us get distracted which leads us to maybe alienating the more important things? Service and time are both very import but it’s knowing when to use them.  In the moment I was hanging my clothes my daughter didn’t need my service she didn’t need me to finish my chores however she did need my time. I don’t want my daughter to remember her mommy always working and not spending time with her. Our children grow too fast and it’s our delight to cherish the innocent time we have with them before they grow up.