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“Being” is a word that has come up frequently for me in recent months. I’ve spent a lifetime “doing” and believing this was how life was best lived. Now I’m learning a different way, and it feels so…right! But it’s taking some practice.
Moses’ story has given me much to ponder. I recently heard that when God called Moses up on the mountain, what He really said was something like, “Come up here and BE here.”
I’m also challenged by Mary of Bethany, who sat at the Lord’s feet. I’ve always skipped right over her (and had a lot of sympathy for Martha, the doer). But I’m finding myself newly pondering Jesus’ words. He said that Mary had chosen the better part. Is it really possible that I can choose the “better part” too?
I will have to leave a lot of things undone. But just maybe they weren’t that important after all… I won’t gain a lot of recognition, at least on this earth. Hmmm…
Is that my prideful spirit I detect?Much to ponder…
I’m better at being than doing… or is that just being a sloth? Thank God for the doers of the world! PAX
It has been difficult for be to mentally stop always being a “doer”. I have now experienced the “being” part, and recognized that I do, in fact, spend a lot of time in contemplation. I also recognized that much of the time I spent in contemplating, was in contemplating the “doing”!
Now, I consciously set aside about an hour per day to clear my thoughts of everything but our Creator. I love the dialog that results.
How I wish I knew how to persuade everyone to come to silence and stillness to commune with God. 😢I have found such joy in the contemplative life, even though I feel like a rookie! The dark quiet of the early morning in Vigils and Centering Prayer is lovely beyond words! Tom and Monty, you are both such an encouragement to me! Bless you, brothers!
I share the struggle of doing versus being as well, and I was brought up short by Br. Monty’s observation that much of his contemplation was actually focused on doing. I find myself reflecting on whether that is true for me too. How much of my prayer life, for instance, have I devoted to asking God for direction or clarification about what He wants me to “do” when maybe I just need to “be” in his presence? Is it possible that the “doing” is only a surface response, whereas the “being” gets to the core of faith, and will therefore lead to a Christian response that is inherently right? These are questions that are surely worthy of further reflection, but I plan to follow Br. Monty’s example and just spend quiet time contemplating God.
Blessings
MaggieBecca, the questions you raise are challenging ones that get to the heart of what it means to choose “the better part” and what it is that motivates us to be Marthas rather than Marys. Since in the time of Jesus, there were prohibitions against women being educated, His advocacy for Mary being included in the instruction with males resonates with me. Your post has made me consider how much Martha’s objections had to do with embarrassment that Mary was going against expected norms and not because she was leaving her sister to do all the work. (As a wealthy family, Martha and Mary probably had servants to prepare the meal.) In my own church experiences, I’ve found this to be a delicate balance and have witnessed all too often the work of the feast overshadowing the message of the faith and its exercise of its energy and resources in more productive ways. Preparing a meal, for instance, does not have to mean providing three kinds of soup, three kinds of meat, four kinds of potatoes, six kinds of salads and vegetables, and five kinds of desserts. In a church I used to attend, that was the norm, and women who were only able to participate at a minimum, usually because they were doing what might be considered “the better part” of the work of Christ, were shamed, sometimes from the pulpit, by well-meaning Marthas.
I have been known to go overboard myself in preparing feasts, but I have learned that people are most often more satisfied with a very simple meal at a gathering that places the emphasis on fellowship in Christ than on how elaborate the menu is. I would like to think that there is a place to be both a Martha and a Mary through finding a balance and practicing good stewardship of energy and resources. (Those elaborate feasts are expensive as well as time-consuming!) Along with that, I know I need to work harder at respecting the variety of gifts that we bring to our communities of faith that are offered in His service. Your post has given me much to think about, as I consider there may have been times that I have served in ways that have more to do with avoiding criticism for not meeting the expectations of someone else than with fulfilling my sense of call and vision.
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