What Matters Most

Monday Devotional

Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. . . . “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:40–41

Matt  came home one afternoon and paused on his way into the house when he saw a long, white scratch down the side of his one-week-old minivan.

“What happened?” he bellowed.

His daughter confessed that she had ridden her bike into the garage and scraped the brand-new vehicle with her handlebars. Matt got a bit heated, because his daughter had broken an ironclad rule and cost him a lot of money and hassle in the process.

Laura, Matt’s wife, came out when she heard the “conversation” and immediately took their daughter away, saying just three words: “It’s a car.”

Those three short syllables were enough to chasten my friend. “My daughter had scratched metal,” Matt admitted, “but I crushed a person.”

Matt’s insight—comparing scratched metal to a crushed person—helps me keep perspective. What really matters more? It’s impossible for any kid to live in a house without occasionally making a mess, breaking something, or leaving a permanent mark behind. Yet it’s so easy to make them feel guilty for inconveniencing us. It’s also easy to forget what matters most—scratched metal, or a crushed person.