Luke 10:38-42
“While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a
woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who
also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was
distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t You care
that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and
upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right
choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Irish people drink
lots of tea. We were working at the church our second day there and our
cleaning and carpentry were interrupted with “Tea break time!” Our hosts made
tea and pulled out biscuits and we all sat down for the first of many, many
cups of tea.
One of our sweet
hosts in another town, Anna, taught me the art of Irish tea making. First, you
boil the water. When the water is boiling, you pour a little bit in the tea pot
and swish it around to make the pot and spout hot, then you dump it out of the
pot. Next, you add in your tea bags into the pot and pour the remaining water
over them. Let it soak for 5 minutes. In your chosen mug, put in the desired
amount of milk and sugar. (You have to have milk. It’s Irish.) Pour the tea
into the mug. Drink, but don’t burn yourself!
Just like tea
making, relationships are a process that require time, patience, and effort. They
require making a choice to sit down and spend time with people. To listen,
really listen. I value people and relationships, but if I’m not careful, I
focus more on tasks sometimes out of guilt for what I think I “should” be
doing.
During this trip,
a lot of ministry time happened by just having conversations with people – in
homes, airports, on the streets. When I choose to not live in the moment and I
choose to feel guilt over what I think I should be doing, I miss opportunities
that the Holy Spirit wants me to be working in.
The story of Mary
and Martha came to mind as I internally wrestled with taking time for tea
breaks. I was reminded that people and relationships should always come over
tasks. Sometimes that looks like working alongside each other. Other times that
looks like sitting down and taking time to hear peoples’ stories and struggles
and lives. I will continue to practice being a Mary – taking time to listen to
what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me and to what other people are
communicating with me.
Ireland, thank you
for teaching me more about tea. Thank you more for teaching me about how to
practice really listening to stories and about the Art of Pause to enjoy the
moments.
“Take a little time for tea.” – Kathy Hatch
*Ireland 2016, part 2
*Ireland 2016, part 2
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