What Keeps Us From Seeing God?
Scripture Reading — Luke 10:38-42
"Martha ... you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." Luke 10:41-42
"If all the rubbish in my soul were cleared away, I would see God." That line from a poem says it all. Things clutter up our lives. Life is busy; we have appointments to keep, e-mails to send, meetings to go to, parties to plan, kids to pick up. And if we don't do these things, who will? Sometimes it's all up to us. In the busyness of life, however, we sometimes fail to see God. That's what happened to Martha. Of course she knew that Jesus was right there in her house. That's the reason she was so busy. She wanted the best for him. But in all her "fussing," she failed to see that sitting in her family room was God himself, speaking to them. So she missed out on what was most important. This is how The Message puts it: "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing." It happens all the time. And we excuse ourselves by saying that if we don't do it right now, it won't get done. But in the process we sometimes walk right by our Lord without even noticing. Don't let it happen to you this year. Make a list of your priorities. Make some changes in your schedules. Don't get yourself worked up over nothing. Only one thing really matters: To live life in the presence of the Lord each day, seeing his work and listening to him.
Father in heaven, help us to keep our priorities straight, and keep us from getting worked up over nothing. Help us to focus on you and how we can live for you. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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