I saw a sight as elusive and rare as an albino chipmunk today…a man multi-tasking. He was smoking a cigarette and texting on his cell phone while riding his bike on a busy street in the rain. Not recommended but impressive nonetheless.
It’s a proven fact that women are better at multi-tasking than men. Searching for evidence reveals test after test with women coming out ahead. Most of these tests involve a combination of activities, like completing simple arithmetic problems while answering the telephone and formulating a plan to find lost keys. In other words, a typical after-school afternoon.
Are women better at multi-tasking because their lifestyles require it so they improve out of necessity or do they allow their lifestyles to include multi-tasking because they are naturally capable of it? Nature or nurture? Either way, it’s amazing to witness an expert in her field.
A real exception to the female-only multi-taskers is Jesus. When you look at chapter five in the Book of Mark, we see Jesus at his busiest. He’s just removed a legion of demons from a crazed man who lived in the graveyard. The people are troubled by Jesus’ power so they urge him to leave.
He boards a boat to cross a lake. No sooner has he landed, than a man begging for Jesus to save his daughter approaches him. Jesus agrees to go with him, but he’s stopped suddenly by a distinct feeling. A bit of his power has left him. He looks around and sees a woman so desperate for healing she reaches for the cloak of this powerful man passing by. Jesus leans in to the trembling woman to tell her she’s free. Her faith has released her from the disease.
No time to waste, Jesus continues on to help the man and his dying daughter. The man’s friends come to tell him they are too late. But Jesus tells the grieving father, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe.”
Jesus leans in again but this time in a quiet room by the bedside of a dead girl. He takes her hand and tells her to get up, like it’s just another morning and time for her to start her day. The effect is immediate. The girl is up, walking and eating.
I love this series of stories. I love to think about Jesus, plopping down on some floor cushions at the end of this very long day. Stretching his sore shoulders, suddenly realizing he is hungry. He’s been busy tending to others’ needs and now he can rest. It’s a multi-tasker’s finest hour—that moment when your tasks are done.
