“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 10:41-42
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd
called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave birth and nursed you.” He replied,
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:27-28
Sometimes we are
Martha, and we simply grind away at all the things that seem important at the
time, but are not really needed, and other times, we are Mary, choosing what is
better and making the most of it! What I am finding as I read through Luke,
remembering all the familiar stories and discovering “new” ones I hadn’t fully
taken in before, is that the message of Jesus is the same one he has been
reiterating over and over again through various parables, stories, and real
life experiences he is going through during his time on earth. His message is
quite simple. The one thing that is needed is to choose what is better, choose
to follow God. He has provided us with His word, which contains instructions
for life, so if we will simply choose to hear His word, obey it, and put God
first, all the rest will fall into place.
I know it is not as simple to live this truth as it is to write it down,
but I also know that as human beings, we complicate our lives much more than
they need to be, just like Martha. She was so worried about being a perfect
host and serving Jesus, making a complicated meal and fussing over everyone,
that she missed what was really needed, to simply spend time with her guest of
honor. We become so busy trying to follow
all the societal “rules” and keep up with all our friends and family in terms
of our kids, our homes, our activities outside of the home, etc….that we forget
what is most important, spending time with our family, investing in our
relationship with God and others. Quiet time…how often do we slow down to
listen, to hear our heart’s desire, to make room for the one thing that is
needed…stop and do that today.
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