Right Action, Wrong Time
What they are doing is not wrong, it’s just done at the wrong time.
Reference: But 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!” (Luke 10:40 NIV)
Explore: Our 1 year old is the perfect distraction for our 6 and 7 year olds. When it’s time to brush your teeth or put away your clothes, suddenly the baby is the most interesting thing in the world.
He’s picked up or talked to or covered in all his toys, all as a way to delay doing what they’ve been asked to do.
What they are doing is not wrong, it’s just done at the wrong time.
Application: Distraction is a challenge for everyone. Students often find they clean their house instead of studying and workers glean through emails instead of writing documents.
The procrastination tasks are not bad, they are just not done at the right time.
We see the same happen with Mary and Martha. Jesus comes to their home and Martha busies herself with preparations while Mary sits and listens to Jesus.
What Martha is doing is not wrong, it’s just being done at the wrong time.
We can do the same when it comes to our faith too. Whatever we fill our lives with is not often wrong, it just may not be as important as what God is calling us to do.
This Luke passage is a good reminder for us to stop and take stock of what we are doing. And not just what we are doing, but whether we are doing it at the right time.
Prayer: Lord, our world is full of distractions. May I have the discernment to know when is the right time for all that I do. Amen.
What is your greatest distraction?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.