“But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41-42, NASU).

Martha was enjoying a great blessing. The Lord was in her home. He was using it as an opportunity to teach. Her sister Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening closely to every word spoken by the Lord. Martha was distracted with the responsibilities of being a good hostess. She had invited the Lord into her house, but she felt like she could use some help. Her frustration got the best of her, and she interrupted the Lord’s teaching and asked Him to tell Mary to help her.

Our Lord’s response indicates that Martha and Mary had made two different choices. Martha had chosen to continue serving her guests, while Mary had “chosen the good part” - to sit and listen to Jesus.

Martha’s choice had caused her to become overwhelmed, worried, troubled, and bothered. Mary’s choice was giving her a blessing that would never be taken from her.

Sometimes troubles come from external sources. We can’t help but become distracted by emergencies. However, if we are honest, we are often like Martha in that we bring troubles upon ourselves. We don’t have to overcommit ourselves and take on more responsibilities than we can handle. We don’t have to involve ourselves in every controversy that crosses our path. We don’t have to look for things to take us away from sitting at the Lord’s feet. More often than not, we are worried and bothered because we choose to be worried and bothered.

Instead, let’s choose to keep our attention fixed on the Lord. This will not make our troubles disappear, but it will keep us from being burdened with unnecessary worries.