Because I want to look like Jared, the guy who lost 10 sizes while eating Subway sandwiches, I stopped by the other day. Upon entering, however, a long and winding line of 17 hungry souls greeted me. For those who don’t frequent Subway, 18 folks in a line is plenty of time to read the menu board and be prepared to make a selection.
Just then the lady behind the counter turned to the next guy in line and asked, “What will you have?”
Before you hear his response, he’s probably the same guy you followed at the ATM last week. You know who I’m talking about: The person who doesn’t have his card ready, has to put the car in park before he calls in the FBI to search for his wallet, checks the rearview mirror out of habit, and reads every word on the screen as if he’s never used an ATM before.
Now that you have a mental image in mind, this guy looked at the lady, smiled sheepishly and said, “Hmmmm, what do you have today?”
At that moment, I wanted to scream, “The same thing as yesterday, Dude,” but a collective, audible groan by 16 hungry customers beat me to the punch. When the Lord makes His second advent, one of the questions I want to ask is this: “Why can’t some people think ahead?”
Is that too much to ask, or am I simply an unreasonable, impatient person? My dad once told me that I could go to hell for what I thought as well as for what I said. So, like “Home on the Range,” no discouraging words fell from my lips, although some awful thoughts crossed my mind.
Upon returning to the church office, however, I noticed a new book for sale in our church foyer: “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life.”
Ever read about Mary and Martha? When Jesus needed companionship, he often retreated to Bethany to enjoy the company of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. Those sisters could not have been more different.
Mary was a people-person and Martha was task oriented. Mary enjoyed the art of fine conversation while Martha was the first century Martha Stewart. When Martha complained about Mary’s work ethic, the Lord’s response was pointed: “Martha, you are worried about many things, but Mary has chosen what is better” (Luke 10:41-42, NIV).
Life is filled with all kinds of untapped pleasures that we overlook because of impatience: Watching the sun rise over an Indiana cornfield, listening to the laughter of an innocent child, watching a robin feed her chicks or enjoying an unhurried conversation across the backyard fence.
Our problem isn’t the indecisive guy at Subway or the unprepared lady at the ATM; our problem is the man in the mirror. Like Martha, we are guilty of pursuing activities over relationships when what we really need is Mary’s heart, not Martha’s world.
Tony Thomas is a church pastor, a high school basketball coach and author of “A Smidgeon of Religion.” He can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com
