But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40)
Martha was focused on her “to do” list. Her sister Mary was fully aware of all that had to be done, but she put that aside to spend time with Jesus.
At Christmas time, it’s all too easy to become a Martha, caught up in our long “to do” list. Too often, we start focusing on all we want to get done and start resenting that others don’t help us.
Many hands may make the work lighter, but they won’t solve the underlying problem.
What we need isn’t more human help. What we need is more of Jesus. Only he can give us the peace of mind and heart that we crave.
At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who came to bring us peace. But he won’t force that peace on you—like Mary, you have to seek it out.
Take time this Christmas to sit a while at the manger. Contemplate what Jesus means to you, and listen to what he has to say. Take time to focus on him instead of on your chores and lists.
Chores are temporary. The peace you get from a relationship with Jesus is everlasting.
—Christine Sackey
