Come and Sit

“Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.” Luke 10:39

“Come, sit.” It is a welcoming command to put aside whatever busies you and simply visit. To enjoy the company of others and engage in true conversation. Walking through the park the other day, in my heart I heard the Lord calling, “Come, sit.” As I breathed in the quiet of the moment and enjoyed the stillness, it was as though God was telling me to put aside all that busied my mind and just enjoy His company for a while.

I’ve seen the scene repeated in many households, especially around the holidays. A wife frantically working away in the kitchen, preparing food, washing dishes, making sure everyone is served well while her husband sits engrossed in conversation with the company. Numerous pleas are made by a loving spouse and those visiting to “come and sit”. It isn’t that the hostess doesn’t want to spend time with her guests, in fact everything she is doing is with them in mind, but while she is busily focused on the perfect “party” she often misses the very people she is working so hard to serve.

In Luke 10: 38-42, we read the story of Jesus’s visit with Mary and Martha. While Martha busily worked to prepare the perfect meal, Mary sat at Jesus’s feet listening to Him teach. Martha, getting caught up in all there was to do, stressing about having everything “just right“ for her guests, approaches Jesus looking for support for her ”tell my sister to help me” request. Jesus responds by pointing out Martha’s focus. “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!” He then shows her a better way. “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” I believe that was Jesus’s way of saying “Come, sit”. It was an invitation to spend time focused on Him and their relationship instead of everything else that filled her mind.

So often I have found myself in Martha’s sandals. I have allowed the cares of well intended, yet worldly things fill my mind with worries. At times I’ve been so focused on trying to “please” God that I became more like the religious Pharisees than like Christ. In my feeble attempts at ”perfection“, I neglected the person of Christ.

Mary chose the better thing. She chose to answer the invitation to ”come and sit.” She wasn’t stressed. She didn’t care what her sister or anyone else thought of her. All that mattered in that moment was her relationship with Jesus and hearing what He had to say.

Daily Jesus invites us to “come and sit”. He wants us to spend time with him, to enjoy the peace of His presence and to hear what He is teaching. We must not allow our minds to be so filled with worries of this life that we miss the One who came to give us life.

The Focal Point: When I look at this bench I am reminded that nothing is more important than heed the invitation to come and sit at Jesus’s feet daily.