Too Busy for the Beauty

Friday, May 3, 2002

As we drove through Utah that day I kept "oohing" and "ahhing" at one magnificent view after another. Majestic mountains, rugged terrain, fabulous vistas - I loved it. Then my wife reminded me that I'd seen all this before. Or, more accurately, I should have seen it before. See, I had traveled these same scenic highways on a bus with our Native American outreach team a couple of years ago. But much of the time, I had my head down, I was buried in work or preparation or I was busy talking with one of the team members. In the process, I totally missed some of this country's greatest beauty.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Too Busy for the Beauty."

So I missed some wonderful beauty because I was too busy. Unfortunately, that's not the only time in my life that I've made that mistake. And I don't think I'm the only one who's made that mistake. In our overheated, overscheduled lives, it is so easy to speed right by some things that are too beautiful to miss -- in our surroundings, in our son, our daughter, our grandchild, our mate, in the blessings that God is unfolding right in front of us. And even in hearing the voice of God.

Many of us have been 'Martha-ed'. No, that's not a word, but it's an all-too-familiar reality. Let's watch busy, busy Martha missing the beauty around her in our word for today from the Word of God. In Luke 10, beginning with verse 38, I see what I'm like sometimes, and maybe it's a mirror for you, too.

"Martha opened her home to Jesus. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' ''Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better.'"

Now, Martha has the Son of God in her home! Mary realizes what an opportunity this is - Martha's so busy that she misses it. And she turns negative toward her sister and starts attacking her. Martha is the patron saint of all of us who are sometimes too busy to stop and see the beauty right in front of us. For someone listening today, God is trying to say to you, "Would you slow down and smell the flowers?" You are missing precious, never-again moments in the life of your child, or in your relationship with your husband or wife, moments that will never come again. Or maybe beauty in other people you care about. Your busyness may have made you mechanical, robotic, brittle, maybe even insensitive or mean. That's too busy.

And maybe, like Martha, you've even become so busy that you're even missing time with Jesus. Your time to listen at His feet has been crowded to the edges instead of being the sun around which all your other planets revolve. You're missing God's voice. You're missing God's fingerprints all over your day. You're speeding right by a lot of things that really matter.

It's time to look at those priorities, isn't it? So many beautiful things are right in front of you, but you're doing so much, moving so fast that you're missing them. These are moments, memories and opportunities that may never be there again. Don't let them slip through your fingers.