Adjustments Needed

My motto is “life is adjustable.”  If you have more month than money, you have to adjust your spending to match your income. When the waistline begins to expand, you will need to adjust to a healthier diet.  You might find that you are being a little snippy with people. That means you might have to adjust your attitude. A friend of mine got a couple of speedy tickets. He needed to adjust his driving. If we are honest, we all need to make some adjustments to our lives. There is a great story about a woman who needed to adjust her life in 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.” 

Martha’s first mistake was comparison. She told Jesus that she was working hard, and that Mary was just sitting around. We often compare our lives to others. Typically, we find a person to compare our lives to who will make us look good. Martha’s first adjustment would be not to compare her life to anyone else's and to keep her focus on Jesus. 

There is an old saying that describes Martha’s second issue - Too much time in the kingdom and not enough time with the King. It said she was distracted with all the preparations. While it doesn’t say the exact distractions, I imagine she was distracted by food preparations. She wanted them to eat well. Food was never an issue for Jesus. If needed, Jesus could have provided food for everyone. Gordon MacDonald, in his book Ordering Your Private World, talks about the barrenness of busyness. Jesus warns Martha about that in this story.   

 Martha’s third misstep was not having a priority. We often say, I have to get my priorities straight. Jesus teaches that there is only one priority in Matthew 6:33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Jesus tells Mary that there is only one priority, and that is him. If you get that priority straight, everything else will be good.

“Life is adjustable” is my motto. When I read a story like this and apply it to my life, I automatically see the adjustments that I need to make. 1) Stop comparing my life to others and focus on Jesus. 2) Beware of the barrenness of busyness. 3) Make sure Jesus is the priority in my life. If I make these adjustments, I will have chosen what was better like Mary.