The Martha Mentality
I am guilty.Maybe you are too.Life gets going. Responsibilities begin to stack up. We see the value of what we are doing. In fact, if WE DON'T, who will? Our days become dedicated and dictated by a long list of urgent things while the margin we desire to accomplish the important things never seems to show up.Can you relate?In Luke 10:38-42 we read the account of Martha throwing a dinner party at her house. Jesus and His disciples were the guests of honor. Martha was running around the house, consumed by the details of getting things ready. To her frustration, her sister Mary was just sitting there doing NOTHING but listening to Jesus teach.Frustrating.You can almost here the thoughts going around in Martha's head.
"Here I am doing all these things, and she is just sitting there!""Doesn't anyone see how busy I am?""I wonder if Jesus is impressed by how hard I am working and how much I am doing for Him?"
It finally reaches the point where she calls her sister out in front of Jesus, asking Him to tell Mary to give her some help. Jesus reply is probably somewhat shocking, even offensive to Martha who was so focused on her work, her busyness, and what needed to be accomplished.
"There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
The Martha Mentality.It's built in to our culture and the way we live. Often we equate busyness with importance or effectiveness. We value the how much we are doing as we often miss the important "why" behind it all. Jesus response to Martha challenges this mindset. It challenges me. It turns the Martha Mentality on its head.Here are a signs that the Martha Mentality has begun to creep in to our lives:Busyness FOR Jesus has replaced Being WITH Jesus.WORK has replaced WORSHIP.Focusing on WHAT I DO more than WHO I AM, or WHO I AM BECOMING.Overlooking the IMPORTANT for the URGENT.The challenge for me as I read and reflect on this story is that Martha didn't see it in her own life. She was just trying to get things done. She was just "serving" Jesus.I believe in working hard. I believe in putting in our best effort. But when I confuse the order and importance of things it quickly can lead me to the Martha Mentality in my life.