Choosing The Best Thing
Life can get crazy even if you are the most scheduled and organised person. If we are all honest with ourselves, it gets too much sometimes. We have so much going on, whether it be work, school, family, friends, relationships, marriage, social activities, errands to run, or anything that occupies a large portion of our daily lives. We get so anxious about everything in our lives that we hardly make time for the most important things. As a result, we start to neglect things that should be a priority because we “do not have time”.
Realistically, there are no excuses for not spending time with the Lord. Yet we always seem to have excuses. We have time to scroll through social media or watch Netflix, but when it comes to reading our Bible or spending quiet time with God, we are suddenly “too busy.” Our excuses are often justified by what season we are in at that moment. This was me.
After a breakup, I went through a tough season, where I said, “I just need to keep busy because it distracts me.” I had operated that way for a very long time. I would throw myself into serving at church every single day so that I couldn’t be left with my thoughts. But that way of thinking and approach to life is not wise and often doesn’t work.
I say all this not from a place of perfection. On the contrary, I write this in awareness of “not having already attained” (Philippians. 3:12,NIV). I am still striving to be a better steward of the time that the Lord gives me. I also know that some of you who are reading this are already doing well. Praise God for you! But for me, it is an ongoing journey. I remember one day sitting in the church and the Lord bringing me to this particular portion of scripture.
Luke 10:38-42,NIV
38. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 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!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Take a closer look at verse 40. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made! Does that sound like any of us? Before we go any further, I’m not here to have a go at Martha but to bring your attention to something that can quickly become an idol in our lives. The idol of busyness.
Let’s look at Jesus’s response to her in verse 42:
“but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Think about this for a moment. We are human beings, not human doings. Who I am is more important than what I do. I remember the Lord saying to me specifically during that period,” It’s time to go a little deeper, and let me heal you.”
Mary chooses to be close to Him. Martha chooses to be close to Him. However, Martha was busy doing stuff for Him while Mary was engaged with Him. The Martha in us gets busy, and we can hide behind serving. But one lesson I learnt the hard way was that busyness doesn’t equate to intimacy. Instead, busyness can keep you from intimacy. Martha wanted to impress Jesus; Mary wanted to know Jesus.
Our pursuit of excellence should never replace our communion with God. You are a child of God before you are a servant of God. The necessity has to be a priority over the passion for doing. When you know who you are, you know what to do.
The world defines who we are by what we do. But what we do should flow out of who we are. So my worth today is not from what I’ve accomplished. It comes from what He’s accomplished on the cross. It should be from a place of God’s love for me! “Inside out”, not “outside in”. Taking action (like Martha) doesn’t lead to intimacy. Instead, intimacy leads to taking action.
The secret to handling what’s happening inside us is fellowshipping with Jesus in private. If you can’t get with Jesus in private, you will never be able to serve Him well in public. Too often, I was inclined to “serve” to cover up my lack of intimate fellowship with God. And unfortunately, this can become a bad habit—maybe even an idol. But I know everything I do springs from my intimacy with Christ.
Indeed, God has given us a purpose and wants us to serve Him, so getting things done is essential. But there’s a danger in measuring fruitfulness by how many areas we can serve in or how many hours we put into that service. Some days we will have a long list of essential things that need to be done and will only be completed if we stay focused and work diligently. But there are other days when we would serve God more faithfully by leaving some things on our lists undone and focusing on more important things or maybe just one thing.
Our pursuit of excellence should never replace our communion with God. You are a child of God before you are a servant of God. -Choosing The Best Thing #prunedlife Share on XJesus’ rebuke of Martha’s busyness was not because her desire to be hospitable was bad. No, her desire to serve Him well was good, but it wasn’t the best thing. Martha was busy with legitimate things, but the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet to learn and worship was “now,” and Mary chose the better portion.
Likewise, you may have a day mapped out for important things, and the Lord may send someone or something to you that will require you to abandon your plan and get on His. You might not get to any of those tasks you had planned, but you may use your time better by tending to the needs of others. Some days, you may need to stop and spend a couple of hours praying and reading God’s Word.
Here’s a word that might help you. Proverbs 19:21,NIV says,
“Ah, Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
I want to be about my Father’s business by sitting at my Father’s feet. So my goal in that tough season was to heal and not hide behind service because intimacy can’t be measured by how busy I was. But, boy! I was glad I was finally able to heal.
Jesus was Mary’s portion. Is He yours? John 6:35,NIV says, “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Is your hunger and thirst satisfied in Christ? Do you love being in His presence? You, too, can have Mary’s heart in Martha’s world. You can choose to be still, sit at the Lord’s feet, and listen to His voice.
Photo credit: ©istockphoto/Bulat Silvia
