In only five little verses, we get one of the most poignant lessons about priorities.
Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and was “cumbered about much serving”.
She was doing fantastic acts of service.
And then there was her sister, Mary.
Mary was just sitting there at the Lord’s feet, listening to Him.
So Martha got a little frustrated that she was the only one doing any work.
She requested the Savior to dismiss her sister so that she could help with all the things that needed to get done.
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful.” (Luke 10:41-42)
Are we “careful and troubled” about the wrong things?
There are so so SO many little things to worry about.
And as a problem-solver, I like to focus on the problems.
Think about the problem, talk about the problem, and try to solve it.
And honestly it’s not bad.
I like being the problem-solver.
But do you know what naturally takes up a lot of my brain when I focus on problems?
The problems, of course.
You know what I’ve tried to do more lately?
NOT trying to solve problems.
Turning off the parenting podcasts and unfollowing that news analysis account. Stopping talking about everything that’s going wrong.
And instead, focusing on Jesus and my blessings.
THAT’S what I want taking up most of my brain space.
THAT’S what I want my mind to ponder about in quiet moments.
Jesus. His goodness. His teachings. And what that means for me.
And trying to do this more has actually been the best problem-solving I’ve ever done.
Because suddenly all those little problems don’t really matter anymore.
And the big ones that are left don’t seem quite so daunting.
I’ve got Jesus to help me. So I’m going to try to stay by His side and trust with all my heart that He is the real answer to every problem.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
