I live in Mitchell County, way up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Our total population is under 16,000. We roll up the sidewalks at night in our two towns, and we know far too much about our fellow citizens.

Even here in our little county, though, the roads are now filled with cars, trucks, big rigs, dump trucks, and school buses. The situation has gotten so bad that having a clear path to pass any slow-moving vehicle has become a thing of the past. Oftentimes, I find myself asking, “Who are all these people and where are they going?”

I’ve read that North Carolina’s percentage of households with at least one vehicle is 94.4% and the average number of vehicles per household is 2.2. That makes for a lot of vehicles on the roads. I don’t know where you live, but I’m guessing there are more cars on your roads as well these days.

Okay, so why am I fixating on cars today? I’m not. What I’m really fixating on is how busy we’ve become as a society. Everybody seems to be running around to some place to do something.

It reminds me of that episode of The Andy Griffith Show where the visiting preacher tells the Mayberry church folk to slow down and enjoy the simpler things of life. That was 1960s Mayberry, mind you. If that preacher wanted to preach that same message to today’s church folk, he’d have to leave home earlier just to account for the traffic to get to church.

There’s a Bible story that fits in here nicely. You’ve heard the one about Mary and Martha, haven’t you? They were the two sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead.

Luke 10:38-42 is the record of a visit that Jesus made to their home. While Martha was scurrying around the house, taking care of the serving, doing the work of a hostess, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. Finally, in her frustration with the whole scene, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.”

On paper, it seemed to be a perfect occasion for a Proverbs-style lesson on the value of a work ethic. Instead, Jesus reversed field and said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The lesson of the story isn’t hard to identify: No matter how busy you are, you must make time to “sit at Christ’s feet” and “hear His word.” In our lives today, this can be done through prayer, Bible study, or reading a daily devotion. Many people call it “having a quiet time” but an even better word for it is “worship.”

You say, “Russell, I understand what you are saying, and I really want to have such times in my life, but I’m just so busy.” Well, you’re just going to have to make this a priority. Be like the wife of a friend of mine. My friend fussed at her a little because she didn’t exercise enough. When she told him, “I just don’t have the time” he replied, “You’ve got to make it a priority.” A few days later, when he asked her what was for supper, she said, “I don’t know because I’m doing the treadmill. I’M MAKING IT A PRIORITY.”

Please understand now that I’m not telling you to stop doing any of the dozens of things that are mandatory for your day. Trust me, Jesus knows all about what is mandatory. But I am telling you that you must build times of intimacy with Jesus into your life.

Your bed doesn’t always have to be made. Your yard doesn’t have to be manicured. And it’s okay to let a few dishes pile up in the sink every once in a while. You get the idea. Steal some time each day to have a “Mary experience” with Jesus. Oh, and try to stay off the roads, too. Some of us out there are always running late and needing to pass.