Gospel Reading Mark 2:1-12
First Reading 1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22
"All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, 'Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example, appoint a king over us, as other nations have.'" 1 Samuel 8:4-5
I read this while reflecting on the gospel this morning. "The Israelites had a problem replacing Samuel as their leader. They tried to deal with this problem by inaugurating a new form of government for themselves; a kingdom. This eventually made matters worse. We likewise try to deal with our problems by setting up a new system." One Bread One Body, by Presentation Ministries. The reflection goes on to say, "Instead of distracting or deceiving ourselves with new systems, we should go to the heart of the problem: our own heart."
I am personally reminded today of all of the distractions that flood my heart daily. I am queen of Ms. Fix it. These distractions do nothing but make matters worse and cause un-do anxiety. I am going to try to start discerning every morning what the Lord wants me to focus on for the day. Is it working on Ben's speech and focusing on activities for his continued learning? Is it helping my husband with marketing for our business? Is it working on a mother’s retreat that I am putting on in May? Is it getting together with a friend at the park? How am I to use my time wisely each day? I have to remind myself that each day is a new and different day. I am sure we all suffer from a variety of distractions and I think we have to ask ourselves daily, "what is from the Lord and what isn't?” We live in a world that "fixes" everything. Our food system is distracted by the easy way out of processed, heat up kinds of food. Doctors fix everything with prescriptions. I personally sometimes fix irritable children with another TV show or an unhealthy snack (such as candy). Some mothers want it all, so they do whatever it takes to have it all. No one is happy, but her...but she fixed the problem that best suited her; therefore, she is happy. We all get tired and lax from time to time, which I believe is normal and human and we do what we have to do to survive. But instead of trying to "fix" things all the time, what if we focused on the problem at hand that very moment? "Instead of distracting or deceiving ourselves with new systems, we should go to the heart of the problem: our own heart. If we have humble, contrite hearts, we will have victory over every problem-even those not our fault. Jesus' solution to all the world's problems is not new worldly systems, but new hearts." One Bread One Body
So today, let's focus on the task at hand. Not a year from now or five years from now, but today. How is God calling us to live the best lives we can today? Well, I know one thing is for sure. We are all mothers and the most important task I can guarantee you is your family. Let go of all the other distractions that are making this critical task take back seat. We are not "super-women". We were not created to be all and do all. We are human and giving our lives to our families is the best way we can use our time here on earth. All the other "things" can wait. Let's try not to be "ms. fix-it" and just try fixating our families on Christ, which is LOVE.
Blessings to you this Friday!
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