Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Oh, to have a heart like Mary's! I know what is most important, but truthfully, a lot of the time I am more like Martha. I focus on what needs doing, rather than what really matters. I need to get the boys to school, the clothes washed, the house cleaned, etc., etc. You know what it's like. Women have lists a mile long and when we get all the things on our list done, we make another list or we make one for our husbands.

Imagine you are walking on a tight rope!

You can tell by reading about the two sisters that Martha was probably scurrying around the house, trying to get things ready for Jesus and her other guests. And you can almost hear her muttering under her breath, "I've got too much to do." I seriously doubt if there's a woman in the world who at one time or another hasn't felt frustrated by all the things on her "to do" list. The question we need to remember to ask ourselves when we are feeling stressed and hurried is, "Do I really have to do this now?" Often what we think we "have" to do is something that can wait.

Imagine you are walking on a tight rope — not hard for most moms — and you are high above the ground. You are carrying a pole to help you keep your balance. On one side of the pole is time alone with Jesus, on the other side is time with your "to do" list. Up ahead is your goal, your destination ... heaven ... or for mothers, we might say our heavenly rest. Are you maintaining your balance on the tight rope of life? Are you spending enough time studying His word and in prayer? Or is your pole tilted the other way, toward earthly matters?

The next time you feel stressed because you have too much to do, remember that we can't earn our ticket to heaven. It's already been paid for. Salvation isn't about what we do; it's about what Jesus did. All the lists in the world won't matter when He comes back for us. Unless the things on your list are done with him and because of him ... they can wait. Jesus wants to walk with us, help us find rest every now and then, and most of all, be first on the list of things to do. Any other order means we'll lose our balance and all the lists in the world won't matter!

 

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Title: "Martha's List"
Author: Teresa Bell Kindred
Publication Date: February 24, 2007

The Gift for All People by Max Lucado A celebration of God's gift of salvation wrapped in a collection of inspirational stories.

Teresa Bell Kindred is a lifelong Kentuckian, a former teacher, a wife, a mother, a freelance writer, and a frequent contributor to HEARTLIGHT. She is the author of the book The Knot at the End of Your Rope: 10 Ways to Hold On When You are Stressed Out. Learn more at her web site.

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