Making Choices

I work at a nursery school, and one day the other teachers and I acted out the story of Mary and Martha. While reading this scene to write a script, the words Mary has chosen echoed in my heart. A deep feeling of familiarity welled up within me. Mary had made a difficult choice. She was likely aware that she should have been helping her sister prepare the meal for their guest. According to traditional roles, it was unreasonable for her to remain where she was. Perhaps she knew she would be criticized by others. But in the end, she chose to be near Jesus.

Martha, who was striving in her own way to please Jesus, no doubt also wanted to be near him. But she felt responsible for showing hospitality. Of the two sisters, the one who had peace in her heart was Mary.

Every day our lives involve making choices about insignificant things and important matters. But as Christians, our choices must not be based on pride, social standing, or how we will be seen by others. Instead, we must choose to be with Jesus, for this is the path to abundant living.