Mary Heart, Martha Brain
How can I focus on one thing—prayer—when so many things need to be done?
Kathy Callahan-Howell
October 1, 2001
I used to picture myself as Mary, sitting in my living room and listening to my guest's heart-aches while Martha mashed potatoes in the kitchen. I always choose Mary's stillness over Martha's work, I thought. I was wrong. I left home early one Sunday morning to prepare my heart for worship and preaching. I entered the empty sanctuary, sat in the quiet, and tried to focus on Christ. The minutes ticked by and I remembered I hadn't plugged in the coffeepot. That can wait, I told myself, and I directed my thoughts back to Jesus. Another minute passed. Then I wondered, Are the transparencies for the overhead projector ready? And what about the banner—did anyone remember to change it? And someone really ought to plug in that coffeepot. Reality struck. I was Martha—concerned about many things, and not about the one thing that was truly needed. I had written a book on spiritual disciplines and was serving as the prayer editor of my denomination's magazine, but after my Sunday morning frenzy, I realized my inner life needed some work. I had a sabbatical planned for the following summer, and I determined to use that time to develop my prayer life. I planned a series of retreats and made a long list of books I wanted to read. I planned to visit 17 churches, sometimes more than one per Sunday. One way or another, this Martha was going to learn how to be Mary. From that sabbatical, I developed three paradigms for prayer and meditation—centering prayer, temperament-targeted meditation, and a reflection tool called lectio divina. I have incorporated these methods into my prayer life. Together they have instigated a shift in my spirit from distracted busyness to focused devotion. Centering on prayer
My first attempts at reforming my ...
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