Luke 10: 38 - 42
In the Bible we have a story of where busyness becomes a distraction from the important. It is the story of two sisters. In the story Jesus visits the home of Martha where she lives with her sister, Mary.
In the story, Mary sits at the feet of Jesus while her sister, Martha, is moving around the house serving as a good host. Martha is busy cleaning and preparing while Mary is comfortably with Jesus. Martha is not pleased and asked Jesus to rebuke her sister for not doing her share of the work.
“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 10:38 - 42).
When Jesus responds, “Martha, Martha……..” it is not from a position of rebuke more than it is an invitation for her to see herself as God sees her. What this story is telling us is that serving without grounding ourselves in our identity as disciples of Jesus leads to anxiety.
We can all identify with Martha. She is trying to respond well to her position as a host. She seeks to provide a welcoming environment.
We want to provide for our families, we want to give our children every opportunity, we want to be a good neighbor and lend a hand when needed, we want to do our jobs well. What is our motivation? What drives our activity?
Activity as competition, activity as striving to meet expectations, activity in response to a scarcity mentality can all drive us to a life of distraction. Activity without centeredness on Jesus drives us to a distracted life. Martha’s distracted busyness prevented her from being truly present with Jesus. It caused a wedge to be driven between her and her sister. If we are not careful, our distracted busyness can also drive a wedge between us and the people we love.
If you are looking for a way to center yourself on Jesus, email Rev. Carolyn Clifton today and she can share with you some valuable resources on Centering Prayer.
Prayer:
Gracious God, Help me to seek my identity in Christ. Forgive me for being distracted by things that have no eternal value and grant me the grace to stay centered on you. Amen.
Pastor Jamey Prickett