Have you ever had a moment where you are so challenged by the word of the Lord that it resonated in your soul? A moment where you feel so convicted that it is impossible to ignore the work He is doing in your heart?
A few days ago I had a moment like this. It occurred as I was reminded of a passage from Luke 10:38-42.
It reads:
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I found myself reading this story and thinking, ‘I am the Martha of this tale.’
Some may have heard that Scripture verse and simply brushed it off, but the Lord used this passage to alert me of an area where I desperately need growth.
See, I am a busybody.
In fact I make myself so busy that often I barely have time to go from one thing to the next. I know that this is a constant problem in my life, yet I continue in the same pattern time and time again. I find myself so overwhelmed with preparation that I simply stay moving. Whether it is preparation for the World Race, graduation, or simply life in general, I am always on the go. When I finally reach the goal, I often feel like it was over too quickly and I am left unsatisfied.
Can anyone else relate?
Being busy keeps us occupied.
But in the midst of our preparation, I have to wonder how much are we really benefiting from our busyness. In my own experiences, I have found that much like Martha, I am completely focused on the wrong thing.
Martha was so distracted by her preparations that she did not focus on the Lord.
Mary, on the other hand, saw what was rich – she saw the Lord and she did not busy herself with preparation. Instead, she made the decision to sit at his feet and listen.
When Martha questioned the Lord, Jesus said that Mary chose what was better.
I don’t know about you, but I want to have a natural tendency to choose what is better because being busy with preparation doesn’t equip us for what He has called us to.
He is the ultimate provider. Just as the Scripture says, He is the only thing we need.
We don’t have the opportunity to sit at feet of Jesus physically. But we do have the opportunity to commune with Him.
To commune does not require much effort; it simply requires our attention and patience.
Patience is not an area that I am gifted in, but it is one I want to grow in. Because change doesn’t happen in an instant, it requires perseverance.
If I want a heart that is changed – one that cares for His people, longs for His kingdom, and hurts for those who do not know Him – then I must put in the time.
The time I spend on packing lists and moving boxes will not prepare me for the spiritual battles I will fight next year. Only communion with the Lord can do that.
Hearing the rich, overflowing words that come from His Holy Book, this is how He equips us for what we are called to.
So I invite you all to join me in this challenge:
Stop the Martha madness. Do not continue in the pattern of busyness. Rather take a moment, sit at His feet, and hear what the Lord has to say.
