(The Lord said) “Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.” [Luke 10:41-42]
WORRIED AND TROUBLED
I was exhausted and too dizzy to drive, but it was Sunday and I longed to worship. So I tuned into YouTube to the service at Duke Chapel in North Carolina. The first words I heard were “We have made idols of our work and our worries and have directed our worship away from You. Lord, have mercy.” How appropriate that confession was! I was exhausted from too much work and dizzy from too many worries.
MARTHA AND MARY
The text that morning was Luke 10:40-42. Dr. Jana Childers, the preacher for the day, began her sermon by refuting the common interpretation that Martha was worried about the trivial details of hospitality–setting the table, getting the food cooked, and serving the meal. Instead, Dr. Childers made a strong case for reading this passage as a picture of an influential woman troubled by the demands of ministry.
I saw myself in Martha. My worries weren’t trivial: I was tired from service, concerned about the darkness of hatred that seems to be overwhelming our culture, and worried about my daughter’s health. But Jesus told Martha just one thing is needed to calm those worries. By sitting Jesus’ feet and listening, Mary had chosen that thing.
HOW TO CHOOSE THAT ONE THING
But two thousand years after Mary, how do I sit Jesus’ feet and listen? As I lived with that question for a week, three answers surfaced:
- Be alert for words that prick. When I applied the words of that Sunday morning confession to my personal turmoil, I began to listen to Jesus about how to let go of my worries.
- Study the Bible. I’ve been studying 1 John. This week I read John’s advice to the early church about the darkness in their culture. I heard Jesus speaking through that scripture.
- Listen intentionally. When I stop fretting and listen, I can hear Jesus guiding me. When I meditate in prayer, when I turn on Christian music, when I pay attention to what other Christians say, I can hear the voice of Jesus.
YOUR TURN
What worries trouble you and sap your energy? How do you sit at Jesus’ feet and listen?
A passionate reader, I began writing as a young girl. After graduating from college, I became a teacher. Over the course of my career, I taught high schoolers, college undergraduates, and public school teachers how to write personal narratives, expository and persuasive essays, as well as poetry and short fiction. I continued to write: publishing professional articles, two textbooks, short stories, and poetry. In 2013, I won first place in Romantic Suspense in the ACFW Genesis Contest.
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