I love our grandchildren.  So precious.  You would expect any grandparent to say much the same.  Don’t grandparents just dote on their grandchildren?   We now live closer to all our grandchildren… but not that close!  I notice that my calendar highlights when they are coming; and then, with a certain sadness, when they are leaving.  What helps is checking when next we’ll be together.

We know what they love to do.  Eating…watching television.  But it’s playing games that grabs them the most.  I think that when they look back on their early years, Silly Papa and Meme will be remembered for spending time with them playing lots of games.

Growing up, I had lots of relatives we would visit.  Grandmothers, lots of aunts and uncles with all those cousins.  Do much together?  Hardly remember playing board games.  Eating?  Lots of that!  I have the extra pounds to prove it!  The adults?– talking, chattering and gossiping about whoever or whatever.  Relatives interested in my life?  Not really.  Not that I remember.

Much talk of love for each other?  Never heard about that!  Plenty of gossipy griping as we drove home or after they all left.  A friendly wave ‘good bye’ followed by dissecting everything that made us jealous!  Can’t do anything about ‘spilt milk’ from the past, but can make it much better for our children and their kids.

Being together, spending time laughing, talking about the stories their  imaginations dream up.  Telling them how much we love them, as often as we can or they’ll allow!    Letting them know that being with them means the world to us.

Like what happened when Jesus and His friends came to stay at Martha’s house.  Lots of work to be done to host all those people.  Food doesn’t drop out of the sky.  Well, not since Old Testament times!  Takes old-fashioned elbow grease.  That 4-letter word:  ‘work’.  Like Maynard G. Krebs, of the old ‘Dobie Gillis’ television show, who screamed ‘w…o…r…k!’

Martha had lots to do.  She lets her frustration fall directly onto Jesus’ head.  ‘Make her help me,  Jesus.  Don’t you care?’   But it’s Mary who’s commended by Jesus.  Mary sits at His feet.  Everything about Jesus she just loves.  Those 5 verses from Luke 10.  What I notice is not so much that Jesus criticizes Martha for all those distractions, but how He protects Mary’s desire to get close to Him.

At Christmas–God wanting to get close to us.   It takes much effort to keep Christ front-and-center at Christmas.  There is no criticism of Martha’s work-ethic in Luke chapter 10.    But she needs a sense of rest in her daily life.

Not just Martha.  Not only once a week.  Resting, waiting on Him, sitting at the feet of Jesus… in prayer, in the Word, and in action.  Time well spent!

Prayer:  Lord, you want to be close to us.  At Christmas and all year long.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.