I’ve been reading through the Psalms during my morning devotional time. Here’s the phrase that stuck out for me in Psalm 90:
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12
Sometimes we forget that we have a limited amount of time here on earth. The same Psalm tells us:
“The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty…”Psalm 90:10
It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of daily life — our jobs, our children, our household tasks. We neglect the eternal for the temporal. I’m as guilty of this as you are. Even though I’m retired, I load myself up with chores that are probably unimportant in the long run. Does it really matter if I wash the kitchen floor every week? Do I need to peruse the grocery store ads over and over to find the best price on every single item I need this week? Couldn’t that load of laundry wait an extra day? Must the bulletin board at church be updated TODAY? These things are not unimportant, but they are also not time sensitive and crucial. If we’re wise we’ll put first things first.
A friend recently told me that this was the message Jesus was trying to get across to Martha, in the familiar story we find in Luke, chapter 10. She was angry because her sister Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching, instead of helping with the housework. But couldn’t both sisters have done this, and then worked together to finish the chores? Yes, the guests needed to be served, but the words of Christ were “the good portion.” Luke 10:42b
So let’s all be wise. Do what needs to be done, but remember our time is short. Don’t neglect the best things — prayer, worship, study and service to others –these should be given the highest priority in our lives.
For more about wisdom see these posts:
Lutheran Ladies Connection 