Finding Jesus in Busyness

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 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!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

What thoughts stir in your mind as you read this passage? What feelings are going on inside of you? What does this passage mean? What is God trying to teach you?  What do you and I do with this?

We live in a world where achieving is important, busyness is admired, long to do lists greet us each day, a filled calendar gives us a feeling of status, social media calls to us.  And we are taught we can have it all and we can do it all.

There is a job to go to, laundry to get done, groceries and meals are necessary, the toilet needs to be cleaned, the kids need to go to the dentist, someone needs to coach the t-ball team, there is a fundraiser to organize, my friends need to talk, the dog needs a rabies shot and it goes on and on.

A family day would be fun.

A date night is so needed.

I’m so exhausted. How do I keep going?  Time with Jesus? Read the Bible? Pray? Serve in a ministry? What? When? I can hardly keep my head above water.

Martha seemed to face the same things we do in a completely different time and culture. Jesus and his disciples were in her home. There was cleaning to do, bread to bake, veggies to wash, meat to roast. And where was her sister? Are you kidding me Mary? You are sitting down talking with our company? There is work to do! Look at the to-do list Mary. Help me! What will our Facebook friends think when they see the pictures of you sitting down and me doing all the work? That’s it. I’m telling Jesus on you.  He will be on my side. He will get you up and get you accomplishing something.

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” What do you think was going through Martha’s head with that statement? Mary has chosen the better? What would you have been thinking? How would you have reacted?

How do we sort it all out? The Martha/Mary dilemma is very real for many. This is something I struggle with on a regular basis. I love to get things done, cross off the finished tasks, accomplish, be productive, work, try new things, achieve goals. It’s very hard for me to sit still, relax, just be, and settle down.

When speaking to Martha, I don’t believe Jesus was telling her that what she was doing wasn’t important. He wasn’t saying that we shouldn’t clean, cook and take care of our responsibilities. I hear Him encouraging Martha to prioritize what is truly important and not worry about the lesser things.

How do I prioritize Jesus and my time with him? Is He my priority only when it is convenient, and He fits in my schedule?  Do I prioritize Him when I’m really busy and worried about many things? Do I rush around “doing” and miss my time “being” with Jesus? Do I fit Him in to my schedule or do I make my schedule around Him?

Could Jesus being saying, “Lori, Lori, you are filling your day with many things to get done and be concerned with, but first spend time with Me. Make Me a priority each and every day”.

Over the years I have found that it is best for me to spend time with Jesus, reading His Word and praying first thing when I get out of bed.  If I start the task list first, Jesus gets pushed aside. I also have found that I need to be up first and have the house quiet. Once there is noise, I am very easily distracted. I am far from perfect, but I continue to work at wanting what is best, time with Jesus.

We all need to worship, praise, pray, and listen to our Savior. He fills us up, refreshes, teaches, and encourages.  He gives us peace, forgiveness and wisdom. He directs our steps. He showers us with His love and grace.  But in order to receive all He has for us, we need to be still and quiet ourselves from all the distractions. We need to invite His presence. As Mary did, we need to choose what is better.

On Thursday, October 3 we are holding a night of worship for ladies and teen girls. We invite you to come and “be.” Spend time worshiping together, with stations available for you to privately spend time worshiping God on your own.  We’re excited to also hear a short devotional on the importance of community and why it is vitally important to our faith walk. You will find more information here.