Luke 10:38-42

      There are persons who have cannot walk and chew gum at the same time.  They assume tasks one at a time, completing one charge before moving on to another.  Then there is my daughter.  Courtney can watch a television show on Netflix while simultaneously texting her friend, talking on the phone to her husband, painting her toenails, and complaining that the lawnmower noise outside is distracting her.  Court is an uber-tasker.

so impractical.”  However, if the heart is to be properly filled, it must be emptied of things that leave no place for God and give God access.  Doing so means setting time aside for prayer and reflection.  An empty prayer life reflects an emptiness in life, which is to say a cluttered and distracted heart.

 Simon, How Much Is Enough?

      Please don’t take my citation of Simon’s words as a criticism for those of you who proficiently multi-task your way throughout each day.  I intend only for you to go about your activities cautiously.  All of us, uni-taskers and uber-taskers alike, are susceptible to missing out on the best meal of each day.  Jesus warned Martha to not make the same mistake.  Spending time alone listening to Jesus offers the necessary daily requirements for sustaining the human soul.  A heart filled with the presence of Jesus is a heart that is well ordered and focused on all aspects of life.

      I’ve discovered that knowing Jesus is the best way of getting to know my truest self.  That is to say, getting to know and live out my best sense of self, to include my values, priorities, and beliefs.  In a world that compels persons to be molded into some socially accepted facsimile of themselves, Jesus invites each of us to become uniquely shaped into God’s image.  As the old saying goes, we become like the company we keep.  The more we hang with Jesus, the more our character reflects him.

      So, perhaps at some moment amid your crazy, busy day, you might wish to just stop.  Stop thinking what you’re thinking and doing what you’re doing.  Stop and pray these words:

Lord Jesus, help me become more like Mary today.

Nudge me when I need to pause and reflect upon your presence

in my life.  I want to be the best parent, spouse, and person I can be.

I realize that I can only become these things by spending time with you.

Give me the grace to know you more, in order that I may become

more like you.  Amen.