“Stressed” is a word that seems to be over used lately. It is used to describe how people are feeling and it has become more of a trait that accompanies business. Are we so busy and stressed that we are missing out on the daily blessings that are right in front of us?
A few weeks ago, my pastor spoke on being busy. It had really got me thinking. How stressed am I really? Yes, I have so much to do. I am a full-time student, I work 20+ hours a week, I go to the gym, I have a boyfriend, I want to do fun things with my friends and I am chairman in multiple organizations. I am stressed. I worry that if I have time to do everything, will I miss out on the important things?
Jesus illustrates the perfect picture of this in Luke 10:38-42 (told in the Sierra Standard Version AKA me). Jesus and his disciples were traveling when they came to a village where a woman named Martha lived. Martha had welcomed Jesus into her home. She spent all of her time preparing the food to make sure it was perfect and Jesus had all the vegetable options he wanted. Then, she spent time finding the pristine dishes for Jesus to eat on and began to set the table to make sure everything was precisely where it was supposed to be. At this point, she is sweating and she stressed out worrying trying to make everything perfect for Jesus. She looks over and to her disbelief, she sees Mary sitting on the floor visiting with Jesus.
Oh heck no.
Martha marches her little behind over and says, “Lord, tell Mary to help me! I’m stressed out making sure everything is spick-and-span for you!” And Jesus shakes his head and says, “Oh Martha, Martha, you are worried about so many things, but there is only one thing you should worried about. Mary did the right thing and if she wants to visit with me, I will not take that from her.”
Wow. Jesus was not easy on Martha and I can’t even imagine how she felt. But do you blame him? Mary was getting poured into by Jesus, while Martha was distracted by worldly things. Philippians 4:6 says to not worry about anything, but instead, let your request be known to God through prayer. I challenge you to take a moment and look at your life. Are you Martha who is so consumed with making sure she has her life in perfect order? Are you Mary who genuinely sits at the feet of Jesus to learn more about him? Are you running through life too busy and too stressed to stop and listen to God? Take a step back from the overwhelming life and take a second to stop, sit the feet of Jesus and just listen.
