I love the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Most of the time, I’m more Mary than Martha. I certainly wouldn’t have been too distracted by household chores to sit at the feet of Jesus while he taught. On the other hand, when I’m fixated on a project or am part of a team with an agenda, I want to get things done and see results! I expect other team members to do their part. I can get obsessed with checklists and the satisfaction that comes from checking tasks off the list.
While checklists can be a helpful tool, some of us give too much power to the list and live our lives by it. Groceries? Check. Emails? Check. Bank? Check. Laundry? Half-checked. Going to church, reading the Bible, or spending time with God in prayer? Not on the list or perhaps at the bottom with a little caveat: “Do these when I have spare time.”
Martha knew all about to-do lists. When Jesus visited her home, she was “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” You can almost see her scribbling down the chores: Sweep the floors. Dust the tables. Make the stew. Bake the bread. Refill the water jars. Set the table. Get out fresh sheets and remake the beds. Keep an eye on Mary and make sure she’s helping.
But Mary had her own kind of to-do list: Sit at Jesus’ feet with the other disciples. Listen. Ask questions. Absorb his teaching. Take them to heart. Be a disciple.
When Martha complained, Jesus gently replied: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Martha’s work wasn’t wrong. It was needed. After all, she’d just been hit with thirteen unexpected dinner, overnight guests. That would cause most of us stress! But Jesus reminds us that sometimes our lists are so long we forget the point of it all: to be with him.
Maybe today your list feels endless. What if you put “Spend time with Jesus” at the very top? What if, before the dishes and the deadlines, you let yourself sit at his feet and hear his words? It’s the one thing you’ll never regret leaving unchecked.
Prayer: Lord, I confess that my lists often run my life. Help me not just to do, but to pause; not just to serve, but to listen. Teach me that the most important item I could ever put on my list is time spent with you. Amen.
