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. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 38-42
I remember the preacher screaming at the congregation, “don’t be like Martha, don’t be like Martha. Be like Mary and stay with Jesus”. As I listened to him, I realized that most of us have been like Martha at some point in our lives. It’s easy to condemn Martha for not sitting at the feet of Jesus like Mary did but many of us are just another variation of Martha in our hearts. We are in church, yet our minds keep racing with worry and anxiety for many things that we do not even hear the word that has been preached. Martha was up and about kitchen business, wanting the Lord to have a good meal while at their house was a good thing but Jesus said Mary chose the more valuable thing. Despite Martha’s good intentions, she got a gentle rebuke from the Lord. What would Jesus say to those of us whose hearts are heavy with worry? What we have chosen is neither beneficial to us spiritually nor physically. Medically, worry and anxiety leads to high blood pressure and other illnesses.
The position Mary took is the position that allows us to conquer the worries and anxiety of life. Sitting with the word of God daily empowers us with the knowledge that is needed to triumph in life. Knowing what the Bible says about us and our situation gives us control over our responses to life’s challenges. Remember that when we choose to trust the Lord, we surrender and give Him control of all things that concern us. Those who worry constantly about the mistakes they made in the past or what the future holds for them will never be able to stay with the word like Mary did. Those who choose to stay with the word, studying and imbibing the lessons, will find that they have nothing to worry about. This empowerment comes from a daily study of the word of God and ultimately leads to a victorious life.
The antidote to worrying is knowing what the word says about you and that situation that bothers you. Don’t be like those who are serving in God’s house half-heartedly because anxiety has taken root in their hearts; they are there but not fully present. There is no reward for not trusting the Lord. There is no benefit in worrying and living anxiously. God is calling us all to a richer and more fulfilling life that comes with quality time of fellowship with Him.
