Balance

John 10: 38-42

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, Jesus^[a] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary.^[b] Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

The key to balancing serving and "the better part" chosen by Mary is "listening to him."  It puts both "contemplation" and action into perspective.  Mary's "better part" indeed is her focus on Jesus and what he is sharing with her, but at the same time, food must be prepared and served, so Martha too makes a valid point. We get caught up with activity which sometimes becomes and end in itself, but we can achieve a balance by "listening" to Jesus in the midst of our activity; or asking him to be present as we work, or do our household chores. Today is a good time to begin.

Bro. Rene