Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” —Luke 10:39, 42
The long slender oval-shaped window with a magnifying glass icon rests perched at the top of every web page I open. At the click of my mouse, in seconds, I can be reading a recipe for mouthwatering authentic beef bourguignon, analyzing a sunny outdoor living space, checking out the trendiest pair of platform shoes, or searching for a long-lost childhood friend on Facebook.
I attest to the fact that one need never be bored again—the Internet is an endless place of information and entertainment. However, it is also a place of diversion! How often I sit at my desk, ready to begin work on something, and there the blank window sits open, like my personal magic genie. “Come to me… Your search is my command, master.” Ha! Master, my foot!
Is it me mastering the machine or the machine mastering me?
I walk the aisle in the grocery store, spend 20 minutes looking for the brand of Chex cereal we like because there are too many others crowding the shelves. I want to buy some Chex cereal, but should it be Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, Multi-bran Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex (My chocoholic granddaughter Lucy would love this!), Cinnamon Chex, or Apple-Cinnamon Chex?
Yikes! No wonder it takes me so long to find what I came in to buy. And just when I figure out the layout of my store (Wheat Chex is on the top right shelf at the end of Aisle 3), they shuffle all the boxes and I am back to 20 minutes of looking! (And that is when I go in knowing exactly what I want to buy.)
Look ladies, when it comes to choices, we need to have some idea before we go shopping right? Am I looking for the greatest deal on earth, the tastiest product, or the one packed with the most nutrition per bite…hmmm? We need to decide before we shop what our criteria should be for making choices.
So many times we go looking on the shelves, distracted by the packaging and clever advertising. Simply put, if you go in with an open mind about shopping, you may end up wasting your time, energy, and money on what doesn’t deliver.
I admit I have found that the Internet can be a huge distraction anytime of the day. Five minutes turns into 15 and faster than I can type Amazon.com, I have wasted another hour! So I had to make some choices and set some boundaries for my growing Internet habit. Before I spend one second skipping around in virtual reality, I would spend time in reality with my Lord.
Mary of Bethany had choices as well—not as many as we do, but there were choices to make, and she made the right one. There was a gathering of Jesus’ disciples at her home. Rooms needed arranging, floors needed sweeping, food needed to be purchased, prepared, and plated. It would fall to the women to do such things, so she and Martha had their work cut out for them.
And yet, above all these good things, which I have no doubt Mary properly accomplished, there was one thing that Mary gave the greatest priority. I can imagine Martha furiously carving red and white roses out of radishes to garnish the salad bowl. And it began to take its toll on both sisters. While Martha continued to be dragged about by her plans, Mary knew it was time to slip out of her apron and join the disciples to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His words.
There is always that certain moment when a good thing begins to crowd out the best thing. Can you distinguish when that is? When it’s time to choose to close your laptop, shut off your smart phone? Instead, pick up the Book, and hear His voice. Remember, only you can choose that good portion, and with God’s help, you can make the right choice!
A M E N !
But one thing is needful!!!!
So true!!!! Choices, choices, choices! Thanks Cathe!
Yes, so true! We all have choices. Choices to let the voice of our past life lead our way of thinking, or of letting the Holy Spirit lead us. I can get so worked up and despondent over things to the point of walking out of a relationship, or I can pray about and commit it to my Father. It sometimes take a lot of effort to die to self and allow the Holy Spirit to work within me. Sometimes that twisted sister just doesn’t want to let go. She’s like a pit bull with her jaws locked on her own way. Then I have the choice to turn away and not be a slave to that old sin. I have been redeemed by my Savior. I don’t have to be afraid and I don’t have to speculate about this or that. I have the freedom in Christ to let the twisted sister die. What a relief! My Savior lives just for that, to set me free from my past, to give me a hope for a future! Praise God!
I can relate. :) I literally spend hours on the internet every day. Some of the time is well-spent (like this blog post for example!) but many times it’s spent shopping for things I don’t need or something similar. Definitely needed this reminder!!
Amen! God is good, I will take my portion.
This is so true. Just this week I was asking myself, what shows do I want to give up and perhaps I will look at my facebook page just twice a week. I leave my cellphone in the car when I get home in the evenings. I for one am disturbed by all the distractions………..many of them being pointless.
What a great reminder! Amen! Love this!
Thank you for sharing this. I know it is so true in my life, too. I love meeting with God, but so many times I prioritize other things. I hope I can improve in setting boundaries and not letting anything distract me from seeking Him.
Amen…so sweet to sit at His feet. <3 thank you! =))))
Thanks for the reminder…I really needed this! <3
1. Sometimes I go on the internet with a purpose, only to be distracted by the front page news or that pesky search bar. Then I forget why I went on in the first place!
2. I too love wheat chex! I thought I was alone on this…
Hi Cathe, I love your blogs. Guess what happened to me? The Lord put me straight. He allowed my iPhone to crack. It’s dead as a door nail and I haven’t missed spending my useless, wasted time on all the distracting websites. It has allowed me to get back to the reading my Bble more. I am thirsty and craving His word. May we spend our time on God first just as Elizabeth George says, in the early morning before the family gets to you first, get to Our Lord first. Hopefully then our day runs more smoothly. God Bless ladies.
When I’m engaged on the Internet I love my reminders of joy the Lord and that is my call to get off and spend time with Him!
Thanks Cathe…
I agree it is so easy to get caught up in the internet, which serves its purpose for accessing information, but what I find brings me joy is to listen to people.
Thank you for bringing focus to my priorties. AMEN!
So true!!! Lord, help me to always make the wise choice .. Help me to not be distracted!!
Thanks for the reminder!! I also needed this…
I must remember how “sweet it is to sit at His feet”. Thank you Salean
Amen!!!
I stayed with a friend who invited another guest to stay late. I felt deprived that I could not go to bed and read my verses of Psalms before I went to sleep. It is as if the Word of the Lord is a staple that I want every day, unless something else gets in the way. And I know now it is important to keep that from happening.
This is true, even in choosing Mr. Right.
This is such great reading. It is true that I often will forget to spend time with the Lord first. I will start by checking email and from there can end up on a vast amount of websites from Pintrest to Instagram to Facebook. I need to put God first, number one each morning. Thanks for the reminder I really needed it.
As a new Christian and believer, I struggle with this. Every time I pick up my iPad I ask myself “have you spent time reading the Bible today?” I often wondered if others struggled with this. I now spend time every day reading my Bible & getting to know our Lord. So maybe for me it was a good thing????
Thank you for sharing.
I so agree, but I just don’t know where to begin so I don’t begin. Awful excuse I know – I will take suggestions. Without a plan – I lack consistency and purpose. HELP!!
I know what you mean…I suggest the One Year Bible. It is an excellent one because the daily readings are laid before you (you don’t have to search through the text as you would with a back-of-your-bible plan). There is so much richness every day as you read through old and new testament readings and some Psalms and Proverbs too. There is so much to glean from it and it doesn’t take super long, if you sometimes have a time constraint. I LOVE the One Year Bible!
Yes, Kelly, Vanessa is right on about the One Year Bible. And before you know it, you’ve read the whole Bible straight through! You can start on whatever day it is, of course.
Yes, we live in a world full of distractions. Distractions especially to keep our minds occupied and away from seeking our living and loving Lord. I choose not to have a cell phone and I choose not to have internet in my home. I know that there is plenty else for me to keep busy with, without having these in my home calling out for me just to put them on for a moment, which never is the case. I like my quiet time. I enjoy reading through the Bible and journaling which are a certain joy in my life as I reflect on my future hope and my past experiences. I have journaled since June 1, 2001 and it is such a pleasure to see all that I am thankful for and which the Lord has blessed me with. Journaling is a wonderful experience I wish everyone would take an interest in just to have a reminder of our past and how we can live for the future.
Feeling kinda guilty even writing a comment because this blog made me want to shut the iPad off immediately!
I still have a “dumb phone” and I have never been on Facebook but Elizabeth George said it right…give your time to the Lord in the morning…beat your family up…I did that today and felt His Hand and blessing on me all day! God bless all you ladies from Virtue ministry. Can’t wait until next Thursday!
This is one of my struggles. Thank you for sharing. It’s a good reminder to set my priorities right. God bless your ministry. You’re a blessing!
“There is always that certain moment when a good thing begins to crowd out the best thing.” So very true. When God has allowed a person to have a lot of things on their plate, it becomes essential to seek Him first when prioritizing. Thank you for the insight.
Thanks for always being so relatable Cathe. This is exactly what I (and apparently a lot of other people) needed to hear. This is very true for me in my life and I really thank you for being a faithful friend and “wounding” me where I needed it.
Yes Amen.:) We can be distracted at times!! Thanks Cathe, you are a blessing. :)
Cathe,
Thank you so much. I am more of a Martha than a Mary and you have made me understand this biblical story more than I ever have. And as far as the internet, it is a curse as well as a blessing. We just need to learn how to use it for its positive benefits and then move on to our earthly lives, smell the flowers and use our time wisely.
Awesome, this is one the whole world needs to hear! I love it!
Why is it so hard to take a few moments to sit down open up His precious word & spend sweet time with The Father, so simple yet so hard?
Thank you so much Cathe for your willingness to follow Him & do as He asks you to do!
Bless you & your ministry.
Beautifully said! Amen!!
I can so relate to this post. I tend to be a Martha more than a Mary and am easily overcome with so many choices. My heart’s desire is to keep Christ as my focus. Everything else will fade away, only He will remain. Thank you Cathe for the reminder. God Bless your ministry. Our family loves how God has blessed you and your husband………..
I need to stop doing my devotion online. For me, it’s too easy to click over to something else without even realizing I could of spent that extra time in the Word. Thank You for showing us that it’s the choices we make that rule our life!
Thank You Jesus for being my Savior and Great counselor!