“Sometimes when we visit my in-laws, their home is crowded with people. There are often many extra place settings at the table. If we sit together and talk, more likely than not there is not enough space on the sofa. So I like to sit on the floor, right next to my wife so that I feel her feet and legs.
It is comforting. It says, “I love you and don’t want to be away from your presence, even if it means a less comfortable spot.”
It’s nice to feel so close to her.
Mary chose closeness over welcoming hugs. That left Martha with the preparation tasks, and that’s the focus of this story.
Our third verb is translated “distracted.” It is periespato. It paints an interesting picture. It is all about breathing. The root word, ‘spao’, is the word “to pull, to draw out and to breathe.” But when we add the prefix peri we get the sense of being pulled or drawn out in all different directions at the same time. It is trying to breathe in and out all at once. Do you know what happens when you do that? You choke. Breathing is all about rhythm and flow.
Periespato is about choking and gasping.
The natural flow is disturbed.
One of my friends is Dr. Ben Lerner.
Ben makes an interesting observation about life. If you do not schedule your time, you will find that you have no time to schedule.
It’s a matter of priorities. Ben tries to help us see that if we want a deeper spiritual encounter with Yeshua, we have to make appointments with him.
If we want a healthier body, we have to schedule exercise.
If we want better relationships with the ones we love, we have to plan time with them.
The pressures of this world, the pace of this life and the constant confusing bombardment of unimportant but necessary demands will drain away all of your time unless you have unbreakable commitments to a schedule. (me: I have found all this to be true)
It is the double yellow line theory of living.
Paint double yellow lines around those things that really matter.
Then DO NOT CROSS over them. They are sacred times, set aside for special purposes.
We all agree with Yeshua—Mary made the right choice. But I suspect that we all live much more like Martha.”
to be continued.
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