At the home of Martha and Mary:
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 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, why 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 few things are needed--or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Time is precious. Particularly in this day and age where work, family, friends, extra-curriculars, and technology compete and take up our attention and energy. Your time is the most precious gift you can give someone.
That is captured in the text above where Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen what is better--listening to Jesus teach and spending quality time with him. Oftentimes, the Lord would just like to spend time with us in prayer or in worship. He just wants to be with us because He loves us and wants to get to know us better. It is about relationship.
At Outflow Ministry, we have many interruptions during the day. Every day is unique with different people that come through our doors but we gladly welcome it because we want to help people. That is what we are here for. They might come in because they need some groceries. Perhaps they are in need of some socks and gloves. Sometimes they just want to sit down and chat. We want to build relationship and get to know people better. That is why we will pause what we are doing and meet with whomever has come through our doors.
I walk a lot because at this point in time, I do not have a vehicle. Walking allows me to meet and see a lot of people on the street. It is a little past my two month mark here, so I am beginning to get to know people better that come to our community dinners, Oasis, and who stay at our shelter. Just pausing to chat for a few minutes with someone means more than you can imagine. your time is precious and at the end of the day, people just want to be with you. At Outflow Ministry, we want to build relationships with people and know them as individuals. This is done through spending time with them, listening and loving them.
Laura Duncanson
