As I write this, it is near the end of the month of May, and just over the halfway point of the term. And a lot has happened in the term so far, such as NAPLAN testing, ANZAC commemorations, assessment, Cross Country carnivals, excursions and more. It feels like a busy time, and I am sure if someone were to ask you if you were 鈥渂usy鈥 you would say yes.
I recently learnt a new term to describe this time of year, because apparently for a lot of people, May is a busier month than others. That term is 鈥淢aycember鈥. December is a busy month due to the end of school activities and the Christmas season, so May has become Maycember because it feels as busy as, maybe even more, than December. Would you agree?
We all have responsibilities and obligations, and there are times when we will have more tasks and concerns than other times. But apparently, as busy as we may see the modern world to be, research is suggesting that we actually have more time for leisure than ever before. If you have a look at the 鈥淥ur World in Data鈥 website and search for working hours, you will see that the number of work hours has not increased dramatically in the last few decades, and the amount of leisure time we have has actually increased upwards of 30% since the 1950s.
So, do you feel like you have increased leisure time? Probably not. Why, when we actually have more leisure time than ever before, are we busier than ever?
Maybe it鈥檚 because we feel that way. Maybe it鈥檚 less about how much time we have and more about how we see it. In other words, we are so busy not because we have less time, but because of how we have come to perceive being busy. Has it become a status symbol to be busy, as this makes us feel important or valued? Our value should not be found in being busy and feeling useful, but rather from knowing we are loved by God in Christ Jesus and then freed to love and be 鈥榖usy鈥 serving others.
In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha is busy while Mary is using her time to sit at Jesus鈥 feet and listen. In our day and age of having lots of leisure time, we certainly have time to do the same and listen to Jesus. We might wonder why it seemed Jesus chided Martha, who was earnest about showing hospitality. Martha had received Jesus and His disciples into her home and was busy with all the details houseguests require.
Jesus commended Mary and said, "But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Martha didn't take the opportunity to be nourished by listening to Jesus' words when He was with her. She was busy with the everyday routine of her physical world. She was tending to the details but, unfortunately, missing the bigger picture -- the words of life Jesus was speaking.
How often do we do the same? Do we let our preoccupation with everything get in the way of listening to Jesus speak the words of life? When it comes to choosing what is better, may we find ourselves sitting with Mary and clinging to Jesus' every word.
God bless,
Pastor Adam
College Pastor