Choosing the “better part”

You’re having coffee with friends. One member of your company mentions someone you all know. That sets off a discussion about the absent party — and the comments quickly become catty, gossipy and unkind. You want no part of this and prefer to keep quiet — but instead, you tell of an occasion when you experienced that person’s graciousness and thoughtfulness. Your contribution changes the entire tone of the conversation. You choose compassion — the “better part.”

He’s not working out. The staff has given him every chance, but this has gone on long enough. Yeah, you agree, maybe it’s time for him to move on. You call him in — his last cheque is sitting in your drawer to give him. But in talking with him, you realize that his real skills are not being utilized. So you offer to reassign him to another team and set him up with a wise and experienced supervisor to serve as his mentor. You choose reconciliation — the “better part.”

You’re reviewing your portfolio. Your finance advisor shares with you the prospectus of a company whose stock offerings are going through the roof. You have two kids heading to college in the next couple of years, so you’re looking for investments that will perform. But this company’s record in environmental issues is not good and its product line is suspect. So you pass. You choose justice — the “better part.”

To choose the “better part” is to act as Jesus would act: not just avoiding the “wrong thing” but risking doing the “right thing,” moving beyond our own wants and expectations in a situation to find the possibilities for grace in whatever the circumstances. As we all know too well, we can become so overwhelmed by the euros-and-cents demands on our lives that we unthinkingly sacrifice what is far more meaningful and valuable; we can become so caught up with agendas and schedules that we become blind to the presence of God in our lives. We have to consciously and intentionally choose and seek out “the better part”: the justice, compassion and peace that is at heart of Jesus’ call to all who would follow him.

Jesus invites each of us to choose the “better portion” of welcoming the joy and love of family and friends that enrich and give meaning to our lives — despite the “mess,” the warts, the disappointments and disorder they bring with them.