The Simple Life - Pt. 1

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 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.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV).

 

Today’s reading will take us to a topic that I have come to value greatly as I’ve aged a bit. I must admit that my propensity to surrender to higher levels of OCD and the accompanying thoughts of perfection have made achieving a simpler life much more difficult. Perhaps that’s why I plan to spend a few days of the Morning Devotionals detailing some of the steps to live with simplicity. Remember the context of the story today. Martha was having a busy day. She was making an elaborate meal for Jesus and his followers. She was a gracious hostess, but her grace turned sour. The story does not tell us that Martha was wrong to make a nice meal, but she was foolish to allow the preparation of the meal to sour her opportunity to be with Jesus. She was so distracted and overwhelmed by her preparations that her desire to be hospitable backfired when she accused Him of not caring about her plans.

 

I feel bad for Martha. Whenever I hear this story, it is told as though Martha should have imitated Mary, who just sat and listened. That may sound good, but it doesn’t always work well in life. If I need to get something done, I want Martha on my side. We want people like Martha to serve on committees, lead Bible studies, and plan events. If everyone only sat and listened, much would be left undone. Jesus was not teaching us that we should sit still and do nothing, but he does challenge us to reconsider our priorities so that we can develop balance in our lives. If we are overwhelmed to the point that we become angry and frustrated, we may need to reconsider the priority we have given to balance.

 

I’ve lived through some of the generational disasters that have struck our country. The wisdom of preparation began in the first experience of those disasters. That’s a challenge in itself. But I soon realized that just preparing for a winter storm, tornado, or hurricane wasn’t the only issue. I believe there is a case to be made for believers to deliberately choose a simpler lifestyle. t parts of our society. And if you take a hard look, you will realize just how difficult it is to adopt simplicity in life. Tomorrow we’ll look more into some of the steps we can take.  Today, begin thinking about the complexity of your life and ask the Lord to show you areas where you can strike a better balance.