Jesus is in the house. Your house. With his friends. At least twelve, but probably more. 

Do you: 

1. Sit at His feet and trust dinner will take care of itself. 
2. Frantically scan your fridge and pantry, then search recipes on your phone. 
3. Order pizza and take a seat. 

Martha, of the famous Mary-and-Martha sister duo in Scripture, committed to B. All the way. If you’re not familiar with Martha’s story, here’s the account from Luke 10:38-42:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 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!”

 “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.” [emphasis mine]

Distractions in Real Time

As Martha discovered, we can trip over distractions.

Merriam-Webster defines a distraction as:

1. Something that directs attention away from something else. 

2. An amusement.

3. Mental confusion.

Let’s take the first one: Direct attention away from something else. Years ago, I deleted the Facebook app from my phone because it had become a distraction. Today, I fight to keep my YouTube and Instagram viewing in check. More and more, I set my phone aside when I’ve finished the day’s work. 

Or the second definition: Amusement. This could be a game, sleep, or anything except dealing with ___________. Story provides a huge escape for me. When stress builds, it’s an easy out. To manage it, I use reading as a reward after I’ve dealt with the issue at hand.

And last, mental confusion. Overwhelm. When the task is so great, I can’t even start because my anxiety has skyrocketed. Prayer and worship help me with this one. Once I have God’s peace, I can move forward.

Martha’s Mess

In Martha’s case, distractions directed her attention away from Someone else. 

Note where Martha’s distractions took her. She entertained more than a little self-pity. She also carried resentment. Perhaps she had placed her own expectations on Mary, then got frustrated when Mary didn’t meet them.  And she was angry. Angry enough to interrupt Jesus and confront Him about His apparent lack of concern. 

Yikes.

Jesus To the Rescue

Ever loving and kind, Jesus helps Martha with her distractions, and He will help us too. 

First, He identifies her problem. 

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things.”

Note the many.

Second, He narrows her priority list. 

“. . . but few things are needed.”

Few.

Last, He focuses her.

“. . . indeed only one.”

One. Himself. 

You and Me

Let’s follow His lead. 

1. What are your “many”? List them. All of them. Every priority and to-do you regularly encounter. Pray about each one.

2. Narrow the list. What are your top five? Three if you can whittle it down. Things or people that if the world collapsed tomorrow, they would still get your best time and energy. 

What needs to go? Because if it doesn’t line up with your top five, it can wait or go all together. You have permission to say no. 

3. Is Jesus at the top of your list? Schedule Him into your calendar, then ask Him how to make the others fit. Better, enter His plans and His timeline for you. You’ll find you accomplish the most important things. Every. Time.

How about the distraction aspects of amusements or mental confusion? 

Is your amusement, be it social media or sleep, a coping mechanism for your anxiety? Pivot to Jesus. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Mental confusion requires a change of focus. God is not the author of confusion. Abide. Stay connected. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 

I don’t fault Martha for wanting to do something special for Jesus. After all, Mary was later commended for her extravagant gift of spikenard ointment in the alabaster jar, so I don’t think service itself was the issue. But service at the expense of relationship will get us in trouble every time (Matthew 7:21). 

Jesus was in her home, and she was in the kitchen. Alone. Frustrated. And angry. 

Why? Distractions. 

Get your One thing right and the rest will follow. 

Questions:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

Have your family work through the exercise above.

List the many. For each person and for the family.

Narrow to no more than five. Does something need to go? Talk about the high value of your top five. How will each person benefit when the focus is narrowed?

Focus on the One. Is each person, is the family, making Jesus the priority?

What benefits come from removing distractions?

Try this experiment with the family.

Devour the Bible: Get your one-page Bible study resource for your preschoolers and elementary-aged kids here.