Betel Nuts and Jesus

I love the things Jesus uses to teach me about Himself and His kingdom. This week He {again} showed me my heart and how it isn't completely aligned with His heart yet.

The lesson began as I was reading another book in preparation for my summer in Mozambique with Iris ministries. The author was sharing about certain cultures being more focused on time and schedules compared to others that are more concerned with specific events and being together.

I thought as I read that story that I am a very time oriented person. This was confirmed to me later in the week when I was invited to have dinner with one of my dear ESL students and her family. Shortly after I sat down I was offered these to chew on...

These are betel nuts. They are very hard and slightly bitter. Chewing them could be compared to attempting to chew cardboard...it doesn't really happen. But in my friend's culture, it is something to do with your mouth while you are sitting around and enjoying your friends and family. My precious friends were completely content to spend their evening feeding me their food, teaching me their language, asking me questions about my life, and chewing betel nuts. Yet I had a hard time with it. My mind was anxious about the many things on my to do list. When I did leave to go home, I could feel Jesus tugging at my heart. It was as if He was saying "take time to chew the betel nut".

Finally, the next morning I was reading Luke 10 when the story of Mary & Martha in verses 38-42 stopped me. I can be such a Martha, always busy with all the good things, the needed and important things. But Jesus was saying stop, choose the best thing, the thing that will last for ETERNITY. He is using these funny little nuts and some dear friends to teach me to be more like Mary, to be with Him and those He loves and longs to bring to Himself.