Slow Down, Please
“ As Jesus and his disciples were on
their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home
to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat
at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…” *
Last
Saturday, the annual Dream Cruise was held on Woodward Avenue. Now that it is
over, traffic has decreased as well as the number of speedsters going along our
road, which connects Woodward Avenue with another main thoroughfare.
The Dream Cruise was started in
1995 by a group of people wanting to raise money to build a soccer field in
their community. The route chosen was a sixteen-mile loop on Woodward Avenue.
It was such a hit and drew so many people that it quickly became a tradition.
Although it only officially lasted from 9:00
a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of August, spectators began arriving
early in the week, setting up chairs and canopies along Woodward. Collectors of
specialty cars came from all over the world to display their vehicles—every
kind imaginable, including vintage cars, Chevys, muscle cars, and sleek new
models, some not even on the market yet.
As you can guess, the sound was deafening,
easily heard from our house, although we are a few miles away from Woodward
Ave. The cruisers didn’t just stay on the route—they cruised all over town.
Many of them passed in front of our house, ignoring the posted 25 mph speed
limit and revving their engines! Although a speed bump was recently installed
down the street, it became a challenge for some drivers to see how fast they
could accelerate once over the bump to the next stop sign!
Speeding is a good way to describe
my pace through life, although my driving isn’t as fast as it used to be! Instead
of slowing down after retiring from thirty-three years of teaching, I was hired
to work with the children at our church in Porterville, California. It was
especially hectic on the night that our “Kids for Christ” group was held,
trying to get things ready before the children arrived.
My sweet helper who volunteered
each week, became very distressed one afternoon while trying to get my
attention. I hurried away from her in a rush, leaving her behind wondering what
to do next. Later that evening, after
the program was over, I finally realized how hurt she was and apologized.
Unfortunately, there were other
relationships that suffered, due to my being just too busy to stop and listen. Over
a long period of time though, there has been a shift in my priorities, so that
now I value the interactions I have with people. The story of Mary and her
sister Martha in the above verses is a good reminder of that.
Jesus and His disciples were coming
to their house for dinner. Although it doesn’t say what was happening in the
hours or days before this special guest arrived, I can guess that Martha was
running around the house trying to get things ready. Her worst fears were
realized when Jesus and His men arrived before all of the preparations were
finished! When Mary stopped what she was doing to sit down at His feet, giving
Him her full attention, Martha became upset.
“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 10:40b NIV) It is easy to understand her frustration when things just didn’t work out the way she
had planned.
Jesus’ response? “‘Martha,
Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about
many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is
better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10: 41 NIV)
Uh oh! The speed bump! Jesus wanted
Martha to stop and experience the peace that only He could give. My advice to
Martha, learned the hard way: “Sit down Martha! Stop running around! Whatever
you serve will be good, but just take advantage of Jesus’s company while you
can!”
Why wait for a speed bump? Why not
make room in our busy lives for spending time with others, and most importantly
with the Lord every day?
Good advice for myself and for each
of us, don’t you think?
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