I Can't Do It All

The blogsphere’s most quoted pastor, Gordon Atkinson, aka, “Real Live Preacher” , said this:

“These things are clear to me.

You can’t know everything you’d like to know.

You can’t do everything you’d like to do.

You can’t read everything you’d like to read.

You must hold onto some things and let go of others. Learning to make that choice is one of the big lessons of this life.”

Who does he think he is? Doesn’t Gordon know that I must scramble and hustle and try to squeeze it all in. After all, the more I read, the more I know and the more I do, the better I feel. And certainly God takes notice, right? Every magazine I get, every book I buy, every email I’m sent just must be read. Every relationship needs to be nurtured. Every project I’m asked to participate in, I must follow through.

After all, the world is counting on me.

But then the Red Letters of Jesus poke a hole in this faulty logic retold in Luke 10:38-42.

Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to Him speak. Meanwhile, Martha was “distracted by her many tasks.” She was more than annoyed and complained, “Don’t you care, Jesus? Don’t you care that I’m busy and she isn’t? Tell her to help out!”

Jesus wasn’t impressed by the whirlwind of good deeds that Martha was performing. In fact he lauded Mary as having “chosen the better way — a way that will not be taken away from her.”

Look at your life. What about home, school and work. What things do you need to hold onto? What things do you need to let go? Comment here.