Priorities
We can become detrimentally distracted by good and worthwhile pursuits just as we can by sinful endeavors. Martha cannot be condemned for her treatment of Jesus. She opened her home to him and presumably to his disciples as well. She prepared food and drink for them. She fulfilled all the duties of a good hostess; however, the Christ did not enter her house to be served, fed, and given drink. He came, as he always did, with purpose. We can see from Mary’s behavior that Jesus’ teaching lasted more than a moment. She sat at his feet and drank it all in. Her breath hung on his every word.
We all have to decide what is the most important thing for us to do in each moment. Sometimes it feels like this prioritizing of responsibilities consumes my day because there is so much on my plate in this season of my life. Regardless, there are things that need to be done and things I want to do. There are things which are required of me and things my soul requires to carry me through. How do we balance all of these draws of our attention and time? Whether we put much thought to it or not, we spend our day prioritizing every option presented to us.
Stephen R. Covey wrote, “I am personally persuaded that the essence of the best thinking in the area of time management can be captured in a single phrase: Organize and execute around priorities” (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Mary and Martha had different priorities. Mary wanted to learn everything. She wanted to sit at her Savior’s feet. He was her priority. Martha saw her duties as a priority. She saw her service as a priority. Neither of these women could be faulted by what they chose to prioritize; however, Jesus addressed the fruit of that which they each placed as being paramount in importance. The fruit of Martha’s striving was anxiety and stress. The fruit of Mary’s surrender was that the peace she found at Jesus’ feet would not be taken from her. One priority, though noble, gave birth to unease while the other, though non-traditional, brought reconciliation and calm.
Jesus constantly challenges our way of thinking. He does this even with our thoughts on priorities. Today’s reading inspired me to sit down and list my priorities. Instead of looking at them from the viewpoint of what I feel I must accomplish, I ranked them by the fruit each activity brings into my life. It became very clear that I had my priorities in the wrong order. I had those things which led to worldly success placed higher on the list than those which helped calm by worries and settle my fears. Today’s reading encouraged me to rearrange my priorities. Time with God has to be at the top of my list. It may not lead to a promotion at work. It may not get my house updated and ready to host family parties, but it grounds me in God. It quiets the outside voices that aim to harm my peace. It reminds me of what is true. The fruit of the things I prioritize matter more than how the world views those items. Now that my goals are placed in the right order, I know God will flow through each item on my list. I feel confident that the peace and confidence I gain from placing time in God’s word at the top of my list will positively affect everything else I encounter in my life. Martha didn’t sin by focusing on what needed to be done from a practical way of thinking, but neither did Mary by ignoring those same duties. If neither path is sinful but one leads to peace and the other strife, shouldn’t we choose the peaceful path? I think there are a lot of things I stress about that would be just fine waiting their turn. Let’s put God first and let all the other duties of life fall into place behind Him.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
Comments