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I don’t know when it happened but it seems like overnight my weight went out of control and I’m considerably heavier than I was 15 years ago. I’ve been working at home for most of that time and I guess it must be that constant nibbling through the day, rather than proper meals because it was easier and simpler to do. I did go to Weight Watchers 2 years ago and that helped but I still have to be mindful of what I put into my mouth.

Self-control is not an easy thing, especially if it’s not something you want to do. I want to still be able to eat anything I like as I did when a young girl but my body doesn’t behave the same way it used to.

I wonder how Mary learnt to just sit and not allow other things to distract her?  Did she struggle with learning self-control or was it a part of her natural make-up?  Was it possible that her desire to be with the Lord was stronger than anything else in her life?

Did Martha struggle with self-control, allowing other things to constantly grab her attention and therefore stealing precious time she could spend with Jesus? Or was it that she saw herself as ‘doing’ for him rather than ‘being’ with him?

Have you noticed that no matter how quickly you get through things, or how much you do, there is still lots to do on a daily basis?  It’s almost as though something fills up that void as quickly as you try to empty it again.

When we are constantly busy we make little time for God, just thinking ‘I must get this done first’, or ‘I’ll just get that out the way’ and before we know it another day has passed and we still haven’t achieved what we wanted to get things out of the way for.

You know that feeling, don’t you?  So do I, and so I constantly strive to develop a routine for bible reading, for prayer, for reading other things relating to my faith.  I’ll go weeks and months in a routine and it all fits in nicely and then something comes along to upset it and I’m back to my old ways again, fighting to get that time back.

Mary had the right idea and I wonder just how much she went through, to feel that she could just sit down at the feet of Jesus, and soak in all He had to say and not worry about anything else.  Did she have in the back of her mind that she would go help in the kitchen later, after she had heard what Jesus had to say?  It’s possible - what woman doesn’t have other things going on in the back of her mind?

How much better do we feel when we just stop, sit down, be still and know our God?  I know, you know it, and yet we still let things get in the way.  Why not give it a try today?  Why not right this minute? Sit still, be quiet, let your mind go quiet, and then meditate on God’s Word or seek Him for what He would have you do right now.