The Better Part

by Tamara Francis

Minerva Teichert, “Christ with Mary and Martha.”

Back in 2011, I was in a unique sometimes sacred work environment that I believe was tailored for the growth of my soul. By profession as a registered nurse, I found myself in an elementary classroom of children who had multiple disabilities. Most of the kids were non-verbal, had been through multiple surgeries, could not walk, and were wheelchair-bound. Through time, we learned to communicate with them through their technical devices. After much practice, they were able to converse through modern technology. The staff I was surrounded with were so kind, some going through their own vicissitudes of life.

At the end of Luke 10, we find the story of Mary and Martha. I appreciate the many layers of this scriptural account that may be applied to our lives. Martha as we remember, was ‘distracted by her many tasks’ perhaps feeling pressure to prepare dinner for a group of people. I can relate and I think I understand where she was coming from. One may consider that in a different circumstance, Mary serving with Martha could also have been the better part. The layer I choose to relate to is what the Savior said to Martha, “Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

On one particular afternoon, the special education teacher gathered the students in a semicircle and said, “If there is one thing that you could say to the world right now, what would it be?” This took some time as each student carefully used their communication device and began pushing buttons on the individually tailored keyboards. After a little time, the teacher asked the students to share their thoughts. This was a very light-hearted time and some of the statements created were delightful. When it came time for Noah (name changed) to make his statement he pushed a tab on his device which mechanically said, “Miss Anna (name changed) needs to go to church.” The room suddenly got so quiet, a rare phenom in a multiple disabilities classroom. Miss Anna who had been going through an incredibly difficult time in her life, working three jobs, losing her marriage, and barely providing for her family wiped the tears which rolled down her cheeks. Who was this handicapped messenger?

I saw Noah a few years later when he was in Junior High. He reached out to me from his wheelchair and we had a sweet moment together.

I recently saw Anna at a lunch café, as she walked across the room, her beautiful countenance was evident. It was as if she had been refined from all of her trials. We spoke for several minutes. She had married a gentleman who loved her, they had two grandchildren living with them, she was recovering from surgery, and she was still a caregiver for the same handicapped friend that she worked for all those years ago. Through all her trials Anna chose the good part......she had listened to that special memo that came to her via a child, she looked for the good and chose the good.

Choosing the better part will look different for each of us. We can choose to put our hearts where God needs us to be. He knows just what we need. He knows what will strengthen us to navigate through rough times, and He also knows when we can lift hands that hang down.

It may look like.....

~ My Husband booking a last-minute Uber and a flight home so I could spend the last 12 hours with my mom before she succumbed to a year-long battle with breast cancer.

~ Two of my sons suddenly showing up and standing right next to me when their grandma took her last breath.

~ My son-in-law stepping in and walking my 91-year-old mother-in-law, who suffers from severe dementia, around our cul-de-sac as I grieved the loss of my mother.

Perhaps small things..... but it looked and felt like they chose the better part and each act meant the world to me.

Although it may be obvious what the better part for someone else should be, we ought to let others find that place where their soul hears, feels, and sees what is needed for themselves or others, and give them room to become refreshed, enlightened, and succored.

I am so grateful that our Savior knows that there are times when He, the living water, can refresh our souls. It is good to know that we are meant to seek what is needed whether it is peace, hope, joy, or service. I am grateful to those in my life who have helped me find that place.

May we like Mary find that good part.

Works Cited

Teichert, Minerva. “Christ with Mary and Martha. www.ldsliving.com/does-our-artwork-of-mary-and-martha-change-how-we-view-them/s/90866

The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Michael D. Coogan, Third Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Luke 10, 38-42.