Slowing Down in Life's Busy Seasons

Photo by Owen Barker

It is hard to slow down, and even comprehend what that would be like, in a culture that values speeding up, multi-tasking, success, and maximum efficiency. There is a time and place to work hard and work quickly, whether in the office, the classroom, or taking care of the home. But there never seems to be time to take a breath. Is taking a break always laziness? Is it sinful to provide boundaries so that we have time to rest? After graduating from college, I thought my life would slow down a bit. Nope! Perhaps I don’t have homework to worry about, but with the passing of other responsibilities simply comes new ones. However, over the past few months I have been trying to understand what it means to rest in Christ, and why it is so important that I take time to do so in a busy-oriented culture. Whether you are a student, working at home or a 9-5, or a grandmother/grandfather, we can become blind to how the busyness and distractions have taken over our lives and have left little room for the precious moments at the feet of Jesus.

Why Jesus Rebuked Martha

Perhaps you have heard the famous story about busyness in the book of Luke, but it is often overlooked:

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)

Perhaps you are like me and can relate more to Martha. Imagine a group, perhaps a crowd, of people coming into your home all at once, yet you are the only one doing the cooking and cleaning! Martha, of course, was “distracted with much serving” while Jesus sat in her home. But when she told Him of her troubles of working hard by herself, Jesus did not say, “Indeed! Mary should be helping you,” but instead He says, “you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Of all your troubles, said Jesus, there is only one thing that is truly necessary, only one thing that truly matters. Of all your homework deadlines, bills to be paid, doctor appointments to schedule, or family tension, there is only one thing that should be the center of our attention. Yet it was not Martha, the hard-working one, who had it right, but Mary, the one who sat.

Why Jesus Affirmed Mary

You might be thinking, surely Jesus is not saying that it is righteous to sit instead of work? But that is not why Jesus praised Mary and rebuked Martha. While Martha was distracted, Mary “sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.” Everything else, all of the worldly troubles, were put on pause as the Lord Himself sat before Mary and talked to her. But to the world, this example is terribly impractical. Stop what I’m doing and listen to someone speak? But it is not just anyone. Mary here displays an understanding of Jesus’s words “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). In eternity, the only thing that will remain is Christ and His kingdom. What troubles do we have that will not one day be thousands of years in the past as we worship our Lord for eternity in heaven? What deadlines, illnesses, hardships, or jobs will we face when sin and death are no more? There is a time for work and a time for rest, but it is not only work. Christ is our life, not the busyness. Is Bible-reading the optional event of the day when life gets busy? Is prayer easily forgotten? I know it has been for me, especially in the craziest seasons of my life. But this parable shows us that it should not be so. Even in the busiest, or even just overwhelming seasons of our lives, we must always choose the good portion that will not be taken away from us: Christ.

Making Time for Christ

Does this mean that we quit our jobs, drop out of school, or stop going to social events so that we can read our Bibles? Of course not, but it does mean that we must find a way to make room in our lives for sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from Him. It is when our priorities become distorted that taking time with God goes out the window (speaking from experience!). So we must constantly remind ourselves that the only thing that will last is Christ and His word, and our lives should display this understanding. But perhaps in order for us to do this, there are some things we have to shorten or cut out entirely, and this is much easier to do when we put our priorities straight. Maybe it’s the TV or phone that take up hours of your attention each week, maybe we say “yes” too often when asked to work on our day off, or perhaps we just need to say “no” a bit more when another thing tries to get in the schedule.

The worldly tasks in front of us will always seem more important that praying or reading our Bible, but no matter the craziness of our lives, it is vital that we take time to stop, breathe, and sit at the feet of Jesus. Even the few minutes we have to read His word and speak to Him and prayer will be the most lasting minutes of our eternal lives.