Are you prepared? Do you meticulously plan and prepare for upcoming events? At what point do you determine enough is enough? Do you prioritize your preparations? Have you chosen the best?
Depending on the event we are planning, we spend a significant amount of time preparing. Some events are planned several months in advance, while others spring on us unexpectedly. Nearly every event comes to a point where we must leave at least one preparation incomplete.
We see in today’s passage that Jesus had stopped by the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is extremely busy preparing a meal. She gets upset with Mary for not assisting her with the preparations. But she doesn’t go to Mary. Instead, she goes to Jesus. Why? Perhaps she recognized His authority. Perhaps she simply wanted Jesus to tell Mary to leave Him alone. Perhaps she had experienced Mary acting this way before and was tired of confronting her. We don’t know why Martha went to Jesus, but His response is one we can take onboard and apply in our lives.
Jesus tells Martha that Mary had chosen the better thing. She had chosen to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him. We often miss a small piece of His statement. He told Martha she was worried about many things, but few are needed. Isn’t that something we should learn?
We often are worried about many preparations, but few are really needed. Many of our preparations are to satisfy our wants, not our needs. Even Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, only had need for a few things. In this case, He was implying that Martha was being too elaborate in her meal preparations. She merely needed to prepare a simple meal.
As we prepare for events, perhaps we should keep in mind a proven axiom—simple is elegant. If we haven’t recognized it, the younger generation has. Many of the millennial’s are choosing simplified homes and décor. By going simple, we eliminate a lot of worry and anxiety.
I pray we all sit at Jesus’ feet to learn from Him. I pray we understand even the King of kings doesn’t require the elaborate. I pray each one of us will simplify our lives and our expectations. Sit at Jesus’ feet. Learn from Him. Simplify your life. Choose to live with less. Forgo the elaborate preparations.
Luke 10: 41-42 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “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.”
Marty Pressey 