Women’s Devotional: Say No to the Go

Author: Angela Craig

This morning I rose early to write this blog.

Stopping by the kitchen for a cup of coffee I opened the blinds to a beautiful sunny morning which prompted me to go outside and put the water on the lawn while I waited for my coffee. While I was outside, I saw a tray of raspberries I had left on the table to avoid fruit flies in the house and thought to myself, I better take a quick minute to get these in the freezer or they will rot in the sun. Packaging the raspberries, I received a text message. Leaving the raspberries to answer the call, I also discovered 34 new emails which prompted my memories to email my assistant regarding our upcoming team retreat in September. Returning to the raspberries I smelled something (not so pleasant) coming from under the sink, I suspected I should take out the garbage. Taking out the garbage, I found the stack of Costco items my husband had purchased left in the pathway to the backdoor that we neglected to put away, so I clear the path by reorganizing the garage fridge, took out the garbage and return to the kitchen. Lighting a candle to get rid of the remaining smell and finishing the raspberries (I know, you thought it would never happen!) I pulled up FaceBook to find the Tuesday Talk question of the week and then…52 minutes later I was sitting at my desk, coffee in hand, writing this blog!

At the Home of Martha and Mary ~ Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

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. 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!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “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.”

The word that catches my eye in the story of Martha and Mary is the word: DISTRACTED.

The world is full of distractions. Distractions that somehow command our immediate attention.

Unfortunately, distractions tell us a lie. They tell us we are more productive but in reality they are making us less effective and attentive to the things that really matter.

Here is what I learn from reading Luke 10:38-42 today:

1. Jesus is trying to teach us to be attentive to the WHO that is in front of us, not the WHAT.

2. Multi-tasking is a myth. You can only focus on one thing at a time. Trying to do it all at once makes you less effective and attentive. Scientist have proven that multi-tasking does not work. We must ask what our motivation is for continuing the crazy cycle of doing so much.

To answer Katie’s question: How do we say NO to the GO…

1. Ask God to help you understand the motivation behind your need for productivity.

2. Make people your priority. Put the WHO before the WHAT.

3. Do tasks or projects in batches. For example: Pay your bills all at one time. Set a time limit for answering email, checking FaceBook or doing house work.

4. Spend time with Jesus. If you are easily distracted like me, don’t let your feet hit the ground until you have spent time filling up on God’s word and talking with God. Praying continually throughout the day will keep you centered on the path God wants you to take.