The One Thing Needful

I am constantly in search of "the one thing needful": as an Orthodox Christian, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend. Sometimes I feel like I'm under a pinata. One of the new-fangled ones with all the strings. Which one should I pull?

I struggle daily with this, and sometimes feel like I'm running after my own tail. I often beat myself up at the end of the day, regretting all the distractions that I let take over my life. I find myself running around, doing the things I feel are important, but all too often forgetting The One Thing Needful.

Colette Jonopulos writes "As women we have so many responsibilities. It seems our time is not our own. With our homes, families, churches, and jobs we are constantly trying to accomplish more than seems humanly possible...It is easy to convince ourselves that we don't have the time to devote our spiritual life, but that is where the paradox lies. We must attend first to that unseen life, then we will be better able to organize the material areas of our lives." (The One Thing Needful: Meditations for the Busy Orthodox Woman)

This is my daily struggle. I am trying my best to put God first in my life, but find that I am often more like Martha than Mary. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing." (Luke 10:41)

So today, I may pull the wrong string on the pinata. I can only pray that I'll eventually find the string that opens the door!