Being a Mary

She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. Luke 10:39

Busy! Busy! Busy! That seems to be the thing to say when asked how you’re doing. Busyness is almost worn like a badge. It’s as if the busier we are, the more successful we look. I heard a quote the other day: “Busy is the new happy.” I beg to differ. I like doing things and being productive, but I don’t want to be busy. That would make me stressed, not happy. Which is what Martha was feeling. (But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Luke 10:40)

I think Martha sometimes gets a bad rap. Her love language was probably service. Expressing your love language should give you joy and contentment. But this time, Martha was feeling neither. The verse says that Martha was distracted with much serving. Apparently she was the only one doing all the work, so all the joy was sucked out of her. (But the Lord said to her, “Martha, dear friend, you are so upset over all these details! Luke 10:41)Jesus wasn’t telling her serving was wrong. He was telling her to be more balanced. There’s a difference between being productive and being busy. Martha had busied herself in things that Jesus didn’t consider necessary.

So, we need to examine the Martha inside of us. We don’t want to be so busy getting things done, that we miss out on opportunities to see Jesus all around us. Of course, there are things that must be done. We have responsibilities at work, chores to be done at home, kids to raise, etc. The Martha in us says we must do it all and then some. But, Jesus is saying, “No, you don’t.” (There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her!” Luke 10:42)

I like the phrase “Don’t work harder, work smarter.” Prune your list. If someone else can do the task, let them. Prioritize your list. Not everything has to be done today! Put God at the top of your list. When you put God first, everything else falls into place. You’ll discover that what must be done, will get done. (A tidy house is nice, but not always doable. I doubt any ever said on their death bed they wished they had dusted more often!) Prioritize your time. We make time for the things that matter. Jesus is saying He should be top priority, even if all you have is 5 minutes at the beginning of your day. (Each morning I will look to You in heaven and lay my requests before You, praying earnestly. Psalm 5:3)

Find space in your life for the Mary inside you to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen. (She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. Luke 10:39)

Lord, thank you for the example of living a balanced life. Even when Your days were full ministering to Your flock, You set aside time to be with Your Father. Help me to be mindful of setting aside time every day to sit at Your feet. Amen