God is here right now. It is in the present moment where we may encounter the Holy One. Unfortunately, like Martha in today’s gospel lesson, we are often so “distracted by [our] many tasks” that we don’t notice the Divine Presence in our midst. We, in fact, generally pride ourselves on our ability to accomplish everything by multi-tasking. The classic example of that for me is the woman cooking dinner, balancing a baby on one hip, dealing with a toddler at her knee, while answering the telephone. Thank goodness, we know our distractions can’t separate us from the love of God (Rom.8:38-39), but the Beloved longs for us to be conscious of, aware of that indwelling, enfolding Presence as we go about our business whatever it may be.

Some years ago, I had an artist friend in Apalachicola who was often frustrated by all the folks who stopped by for a visit when she was busy working until she came to realize that God was in those interruptions as much as in her painting. That made all the difference in her attitude as she accepted the visits as part of and not separate from her walk with the Beloved. Acceptance of “what is” in the present moment in our ordinary lives sets the stage for the beginning of a shift in our consciousness that allows our awareness of the Divine Presence to arise in our hearts. We can go about our “many tasks” secure in the knowledge that we are upheld by God’s steadfast Love as we begin to notice the gentle and kind ways the Holy One is and has been transforming us day by day.

It is in the present moment that God uses us to mirror the Divine Love we experience to those around us near and far. May we keep our mirrors clean and bright, unsmudged by our attention to distractions.