Busy
Photo: YuriArcurs
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)
Busyness has become a badge of honor. If you ask someone how they’re doing they’re likely to say they are busy. Many people are busy to the point of being overwhelmed.
There’s a difference between being busy and being productive. When you’re busy, you feel stressed and scattered. When you’re productive you are focused on your most important priorities. You still have a lot to do but you know you can only do so much, so doing what’s most important is the only way you can move through the clutter.
Priorities aren’t always our most important work, though they can be. They can also be taking time to call a friend or relative, spend time with a family member, get enough sleep or get some exercise. And, of course, there’s spending time with God.
Martha is the epitome of busy. If you’ve ever hosted company and you were still preparing the meal after they arrived, you can relate to how she felt. Mary is the opposite. She’s dialed in on her guest, who just happens to be Jesus. She couldn’t care less about the meal.
You might say that Martha is busy, and Mary is productive.
Martha is so busy that she resents Mary. So she triangles Jesus. Given the cultural norms (think surrounding togetherness pressure) of the day, she expects that Jesus will side with her. Providing hospitality for the guest is important, especially when your guest is a rabbi.
Jesus doesn’t take the bait. He knows that a relationship with him is most important and he tells Martha as much. He gently rebukes her and tells her it’s actually Mary who has her priorities in order.
But I think Martha gets a bad rap.
It says in verse 40 that Martha was distracted “by her many tasks.” However, a more accurate translation would be “concerning much service/ministry.” The word that is translated “service” or “ministry” is used eight times in Luke. It’s consistently positive and most often translated as ministry.
Martha wasn’t just busy with household chores. She’s busy doing ministry. She was literally busy serving the Lord.
When you get busy serving the Lord, how do you respond? Do you triangle, complain and blame? It’s not an uncommon response but it makes one wonder why people would want to chip in and help when serving the Lord makes people miserable.
When Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better part, he’s not saying Martha’s service is unimportant. It is important. He’s not saying it’s an either/or, he’s saying it’s a both/and.
Serving Jesus is important. But connecting with him, being nourished by him, is more important. If you aren’t connected to Jesus, serving him will be just another one of many distracting tasks.
When you are connected to Jesus, God’s grace will be your source of focus and energy, so that you can serve the Lord effectively. That’s what non-anxious leaders do.
Reflection Questions
What are your priorities?
How do you make time for what matters most?
What do you need to do differently to get better at this?
Recommendations
This Is The #1 Ritual You Need To Do Every Day by Eric Barker. This guy is one of my favorites because he uses an evidence-based approach to improving your life. In this article he unpacks the power of rituals for both individuals and relationship systems. This is a must read, even if you simply scroll down to the summary.
A 10:30 Cupcake? Don’t Mind If I Do by Janelle Weaver. I once heard someone say, "It always looks like failure in the middle." He was describing raising children (to which I could relate), and I believe it applies to just about anything worth doing. This article details research that shows the importance of beginnings and endings, as well as how you can stay strong in the middle (read the last line of the article).
Podcast
Episode 200 of The Non-Anxious Leader Podcast, Here's What Too Much Togetherness Looks Like (and What You Can Do about It), is now available.