Escape the Trap of Busyness and Discover the Better Choice

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Jesus had gone to visit His friend Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha, the oldest sister, got busy preparing her home to host their guests, just as any of us would if Jesus were physically coming to visit. I can imagine Martha running around, trying to clean up, knead dough to make bread, and setting the table so over twelve men could sit comfortably. In her busyness, she notices her younger sister, Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His teaching along with His disciples. Most older siblings can understand Martha’s frustration!

Martha approaches the Lord, expecting Him to rebuke Mary for her idleness, but instead, the Lord surprises her! Jesus lets her know that Mary is actually doing the right thing.

At the feet of Jesus

Sometimes, we come to the Lord in prayer about things He never asked us to do. Being a servant of the Lord is not a bad thing, as Jesus pointed out to Martha. However, the Lord prefers that we become disciples who sit and learn at His feet.

During the three years of His ministry, Jesus only sent His disciples to minister once. It was only after His death and resurrection that they began to fully engage in ministry. Before that, they lived daily life with Him, spending time learning from Him.

We live in a culture that applauds busyness, especially at the start of a new year when we set overwhelming goals for productivity. A lifestyle of quietness can often be misconstrued as laziness. Yet, the Lord Jesus teaches us here that being busy with ministry, serving, or being productive isn’t always the better choice. Sometimes, all He wants is for His daughters to sit at His feet, eating and drinking in His Word.

This is why it’s important for us, as children of God, to renew our minds. Kingdom productivity and worldly productivity can look very different.

Let’s guard ourselves against the trap of being busy serving the Lord but not having time to sit with Him in quietness. Like Mary, we can choose the better part, despite everything else that may be vying for our attention, even if those things are good!