“But really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won’t take it away from her.”
Luke 10:42 The Voice (VOICE)
Priorities. Goals. Resolutions. These words become almost cliché at the beginning of the year. Now that the end of January is here, how are you sticking to your resolutions? We are late in the month but early in the year, and I’d like to tackle the subject of “one thing”.
I am a goal/list/to-do list nerd. I have often spoken on this topic at women’s groups and walked with others in their journey. I am passionate about this area and love planning. Sometimes to my detriment. As the years pass though, I am finding a balance between gettin’ it done and sittin’ and enjoying. That’s why the story of Mary and Martha clicks with me. I empathize with both of these women.
If you don’t know this story, please go to Luke 10:38-42. For some of us who’ve been in church a long time, the story of these two sisters has become almost too familiar. Yet, there is a point made by Luke in this tale that I want to zero in on and unwrap today as we face this still New Year.
Martha was the worker bee, buzzing around and gettin’ it done. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and enjoyed Him, and He praised her for it by stating that Mary chose correctly. She chose that one thing that matters. Wow. What Martha did was not wrong, especially for a woman of that time period. Yet, I surmise that these women had a choice that day (“Mary has chosen”).
I love this from Beth Moore in her book Jesus The One And Only: