As I look out upon the crowds, along the pews, and in the foyers of the average church it’s hard to stop and have a conversation with any one person for any real length of time. I see a lot of busy people. We are busy with programs, we busy keeping up with our cliques and we are so busy with the idea of church that we’ve lost what we’re doing it for.
Don’t get me wrong, I love potlucks filled with casseroles and the biannual children’s program that requires those precious kids to memorize their lines and make their costumes out of bed sheets and spray mount. But what are we doing it all for? Do we have a purpose, or are we just spinning our wheels to find it? Faith without works is dead; works without the breath of God can also be dead.
The story of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10:38-42 the story is quite simple. Martha was so busy trying to take care of Jesus and be a good hostess that she grew angry at her sister, Mary, who was merely sitting at Jesus’ feet. Martha felt like she was doing all the work of the kingdom, and Mary was soaking in everything Jesus was saying.
So what would that scene look like today? Would Martha be busy taking pictures of the food she fed to Jesus and posting them on Instagram? Would she end it with a #FitForAKing? Would she be tagging her sister in a post and making sure the world knew the Messiah was at their kitchen table? Would she be spinning her wheels while her sister sat at the feet of Jesus? One was finding purpose, and the other was just spinning her wheels trying to make it look as though she was too.
Don’t get me wrong. Social Media, children’s programs and potlucks all have a place, but as I asked before, “Why are we doing all of this?”
When I get to heaven one day, God will not care about the number of Twitter followers I have. He will not care if I wore that yellow top to the church picnic or the blue one. He will not care about the fact I had perfected my gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe before having my small group to my house. All these things I spend hours worrying and making sure are just right won’t matter when I am standing at the feet of Jesus.
God’s concern is for people. He loves you and what is important to you, and He loves his people. But all these small “foxes” (Song 2:15) and worries are like insects that are destroying the connection to the vine.
All these little things are sucking the life out of you. All the precious moments that you’ve wasted worrying about trivial things will only rob you of joy. All that time comparing yourself to the world around you will only make the shade fall upon the awesomeness that God created you to be on this world? All these things will only make you feel more and more unfulfilled in your life. They will leave you a hollow shell that you can’t understand. You’ve been doing all the right things and following all the right steps, but deep down, you will still fill depleted.
Stop spinning your wheels into the mud. Stop trying to look like you’re busy just to keep up appearances. Stop filling up your schedule, because deep down you know that will mean you will have to take a moment at the feet of Jesus and realize the honest truth. That honest truth is in all your business, you’ve been avoiding being at the feet of Jesus. Being at the feet of Jesus requires time, accountability and honesty. Setting at the feet of Jesus requires vulnerability to hear what He has to say about how you spend your time. Sitting at the feet of Jesus will probably require some change on your part.
Perhaps it’s time to slow down in your life. It’s time to find your spot sitting next to Him. It’s in those moments that the things you are doing for the kingdom can have purpose. When you give God all the things you think you should do, He will return to you the passion for His church that you once held so dear. Sitting can sometimes require just as much faith as walking on the water. It’s time for you to be available to Jesus when He calls and available to the world around you that is desperate for a touch from God. Discern the season you are in.
Anna M. Aquino is a published author, guest minister and prophetic voice. Her books, Cursing the Church or Helping It? Exposing the spirit of Balaam, Confessions of a Ninja Mom , An Ember in Time and A Marriage in Time are available wherever books are sold. She has been nominated as one of the top female writers of 2019 from The Author Show. She has been on TBN, TCT and a variety of other programs, both TV and radio. Please feel free to check out her website at annamaquino.com.
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