What did Mary see?

As we turned the corner on our walk we encountered a large group of people transfixed on the ocean.  The closer we got we heard the excited buzz of voices and people getting cell phones out trying to catch the incredible scene.

Patty and I joined in the fanfare as a pod of Southern Right whales visited the shores of South Africa to give birth. The 15 plus meter whales that weight up to 50 tons with their calfs next to them is an something to behold.

Time stood still as all the on lookers were mesmerized by these gigantic beasts only a short distance from shore. It is not an every day occurrence to view such enormous mammals in the ocean.

Last week I shared the story from Luke 10:38-42 about Martha and Mary.  If you recall Martha lost it at Jesus and Mary for not recognizing her need for help in the kitchen.  Yet, Jesus lovingly corrects Martha and in fact states that Mary has chosen “the One Thing most important…”

Encountering that incredible whale made me think of Mary.  She was so focused on Jesus and what he was saying that she didn’t even hear the dishes crashing in the kitchen or notice any glances from her sister.  What Mary saw so amazed her-she was transfixed on Jesus’ teaching, and even beyond that she was willing to break the traditions of the day. In Bible times a woman was supposed to be in the kitchen and not to be sitting at the feet of Rabbi Jesus with a group of men.

Truly Mary recognized something so big and so important in Jesus that time stood still and nothing else mattered. However it is good to remember that Martha  isn’t the only one to miss this in Jesus. How many times aren’t we distracted by the small things in this world and miss the Creator of the World?  Throughout the gospels, Jesus as the Son of God was right before crowds of people and they still did not recognize Him.

Oh how easy it is to spend too much time focussing on the small stuff, the things that simply won’t matter when we breathe our last breath.  Throughout the day we encounter many distractions, some can’t be avoided, but there are many moments in our day we can decide whether such things are worthy of our time and energy. It is a challenge to chose wisely what to do with the precious hours we have in a day. Each one of us has a choice to make to either sit at the feet of Jesus and seek His presence or get distracted by our screens and the screams of the world that result in anxious thoughts and fear of the future.

Mary chose to take time and look at the Creator of the World and listen to His heart. Yes it would cost her some pain but all that would be pushed away as she encountered the great glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and to hear the loving words of Jesus say to her in the midst of her sister’s disapproval:

“Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at My feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.”

Each new day we are invited to sit at the feet of a big God-the God who made the Southern Right whale and the One who made us right through His life, death, resurrection, and who reigns forever.

So perhaps today is the day you decide to turn off your phone, take a walk in His creation, listen to His Word, to chose the One Thing you most need and then wait with expectation for the gift of His presence.