I don’t know about you, but when any holiday approaches, unless I watch myself, I’ll plunge right into Martha-mode. Yeah, that Martha, from Luke 11:38-42. In this passage from the Bible, Martha’s rushing around the house preparing dinner.
I imagine her much like myself at Easter, minus the modern conveniences. When I’m getting our Easter meal ready, it’s not uncommon to see flour flying, hear beaters purring, and to smell the delectable scent of a baking cake wafting from the kitchen. By the time I’m cooking, I’ve already tackled what feels like a gazillion holiday-related projects.
Get ingredients for our Easter dinner: check!
Buy jelly beans, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, malted milk balls, and the token chocolate Easter Bunny: check!
Color eggs or buy plastic ones: check!
Pre-prep what I can before Easter Sunday: check!
Put Easter baskets together: check!
Sneak into the kid’s rooms and leave their goodies: check!
Show up at church Easter morning in our dressiest clothes: check!
Try to focus on the Easter message and not get distracted by all I need to accomplish when I get to the house: check!
Rush home and pull it all together: check!
My holiday checklist (the full list is much longer and more detailed) ensures I don’t miss anything. However, a few years back, I realized in spite of all my diligence, I had forgotten one of the most important to-do’s. Do you see it?
My epiphany happened one Easter while I rushed around the kitchen at top Martha-mode form. I was already feeling a bit sorry for myself when my husband’s laughter rang from the other room. Cue the inner grumbling.
I felt my little boy tug on my shirt. “Wanna play, Mommy?”
Without looking down, I said, “Not right now, honey. Maybe later.”
“Please?” he pleaded.
“Mommy’s busy,” I said.
His sniffle made me look up. In that moment, I thought of Martha from the Bible, when Jesus told her the one thing she should be most concerned about was spending time with him. In all my harried and hurried efforts, I’d lost sight of what mattered most.
My intense plans and hard work came from the goal of wanting my family, especially my children, to experience joy during Easter. But I’d forgotten what it felt like to be a child who wanted nothing more from the people I loved than their focused attention. Even as a parent, I knew how it felt when my child ignored me.
I decided right then to turn off my Martha-mode. My little boy’s eyes lit up when I sat down to play—it made me think of Jesus.
True purpose comes from showing and receiving love, over any project or accomplishment. As parents, but also as Jesus’ kids. He wants our attention, too. This Easter, why not add focused attention to your list of to-do’s? And remember to include time with Jesus.
I’ll bet that cake can wait.
Anita Agers-Brooks is an inspirational life coach, international speaker, and multi-published, award-winning author who inspires people to make fresh starts with fresh faith. Find out about her latest book, Exceedingly, and other happenings at anitabrooks.com.
