I am Martha: worried and distracted by many things.
I’d like to think that I’ve become less distracted by my to-do list than I was in this hard to read blog post from Valentine’s Day 2005, but the truth of the matter is that I am still mostly a slave to the things that I have put on my own plate. It is easy to get overwhelmed by deadlines and moving dates and swim lessons and on and on and on. As I read the Gospel lesson for Sunday and resonated so strongly with the struggle of Martha to just sit in the presence of Jesus, I was reminded of a challenge that my very own SHW has taken on in the days leading up to our move.
“We are moving in 1 short month. We are very excited and have so much to be thankful for!! Today I am thankful to be reminded of how important thankfulness is! Please feel free to join me in 30 days of thankfulness. The count down begins”
I think that being thankful is a means to being present. If I’m focused on the amazing things God has given me here and now, there is no need to be worried about the stuff of the future. Sure, I’ve got to keep plodding away on papers and packing and projects, but I don’t have to worry about them. I don’t have to continue to waste time fretting about what tomorrow will bring. Instead, I’m going to try to live in the today. I’m thankful for that reminder.
I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.
Suddenly, my Lord was speaking.
“My name is I Am.”
He paused. I waited. He continued.
“When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not “I was.”
When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not “I will be.”
When you live in this moment
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is “I AM.”
By Helen Mallicoat