A
Crockpot in a Microwave Oven World
Now as they went on their way,
Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her
house. And she had a
sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. ~Luke 10:38-39
The
microwave oven is one of the most cherished appliances in our home. In our
face-paced world it makes heating up leftovers clean and simple. Just place the
food in the oven; press a few buttons, and in no time at all your food is nuked
and ready to eat. If you’re like me, you can’t even wait until the timer goes
off before opening the door!
We’re in such a hurry—even with our
leftovers!
We live in a thumb-scrolling-phone-screens, texting-while-driving,
information highway. Technology purposed to save time is actually costing our
lives. We are the multi-tasking generation. We’re busier than ever before. We’ve
been infected with the most contagious virus of our lifetime—Hurry Sickness!
More than ever, we need
to become non-conformists to the world’s culture. The Apostle Paul said it best
in Romans 12:2, “Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect.”
Don’t conform to a sleep-deprived life. Don’t conform to
living for your two weeks of vacation each year because you never took time off
each week to relax. Don’t conform to the fast food relationships that never
scratch deeper than surface level.
Relationships don’t happen in a microwave oven—especially
with God. Authentic relationships are like a crockpot. They take time to
simmer, season, and savor until the much-anticipated meat falls off the bones.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Robert Barron was right when he wrote, “The deepest part of
the soul likes to go slow, since it seeks to savor rather than accomplish.”
In our passage today, Mary chose the
better path. She sat, listened, and learned from Jesus’ teaching while Martha slaved away. The path to
overcoming Hurry Sickness starts by carving out time to spend with God and
those you love. It’s being a non-conformist—a crockpot in a microwave oven
world.
It’s slowing down and taking time to
simply breathe and enjoy life.
