Choosing What is Better

Today is my "day off" from work.  Taking a "day off" when you are in ministry has always been a hard concept for me to balance, but over the past couple of years God has taught me that taking time for myself is not selfish, in fact, it's necessary and extremely important.

Okay, so I've learned to not beat myself up about taking a "day off"...

Here's the next problem - and I know this is something that moms all over the world struggle with - my "day off" from work usually ends up being my "day on" at home - you know what I'm talking about...laundry, groceries, cleaning toilets, etc, etc....Usually productive, but not always beneficial for my emotional/spiritual health.

So today, I was reminded that I have a choice to make.  Choices are a part of our everyday lives and yet in the busyness and dailyness of life, there are times when I forget that I have the power to choose what's best. 

This morning I was reminded of the story in the Bible of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).  This story is one that I always secretly struggle with.  Yes, I know Mary made the wise choice and yet my busy, "doer" heart always goes out to Martha.  Couldn't have Jesus and Mary at least acknowledged that Martha was doing a good job and thanked her before asking her to come sit down?!
But that's not the point.  In verse 41, Jesus says, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her."
Mary chose what was better.  Jesus wasn't saying that there isn't a time or place for cooking and cleaning and being a good hostess - He was simply letting Martha know that in that moment, she had a choice to make - sit at Jesus' feet and be filled up by Him or continue on with her busyness - and she didn't make the right choice - she didn't make the better choice.

So today, I have a choice to make.  Right now, because we are doing some rearranging to fit a piano that was given to us by a good friend, I have a room in my house that looks like this -

For those of you that know me well, you know this drives me crazy!  Every instinct in me is saying, rearrange furniture, hang pictures, fill that room up, for goodness sake!
On the other hand, the past month has been difficult and I'm longing just to sit at Jesus' feet and pour my heart out and allow His joy and peace and power to fill me up.
So I have a choice to make.
I can tell you what my "Martha-ness" is telling me to do...but not today...today I'm choosing what is better.
Today I choose this -