Most of us know the story in the Bible, don’t we, of Martha & Mary? Martha is worried and fretting about how Mary isn’t helping her with serving and getting everything ready for the crowd that has come to her house to see Jesus. She is worried about not getting things done, not having enough food, not being prepared. Mary is just sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his teaching.
Insert yourself in this story. Which one are you?
In Moderation
One of my coworkers recently described me as the Martha of our team. I am the organized one. I make sure that the ship runs smoothly. But, I like to think, in reality, I am both Martha and Mary, in moderation.
I don’t worry about much. I like to be prepared, but at the same time, I am ready to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen. In that story, I would have been sitting there too, but everything would have been put in place, ready to go. I would have delegated the tasks that needed to be done before Jesus got there. I am not the one who has to do everything. And complaining doesn’t solve the problem.
Cn you relate? Do you have to be the one who controls everything, complaining to others about it? Do you have time in your day to just sit at the feet of Jesus? Having balance in life is golden. There is a system to it and you can learn the skills needed to achieve it. Having balance in life is less stressful, even peaceful. It helps you live life to the fullest.
St. Benedict
St. Benedict was a religious reformer who lived in Italy in the late 400s and early 500s. He developed the Benedictine Rule which basically says that all things—eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, working, and praying—should be done in moderation. When any of these is out of whack, so are we. It negatively affects our lives and our health.
Achieving balance in life is about getting the right amount of sleep, food, and exercise. Having good relationships with Jesus, family & friends. So that we can be free to enjoy our work, books and music, other things that make us happy.
Action Steps
Get back to being in balance. Learn to be disciplined. Create new good habits and let go of the bad ones.
The 3-2-1 rule that I learned last month at a conference I attended can help with getting better sleep: 3 hours before bed, no food. 2 hours before bed, no work. 1 hour before bed, no (TV or phone) screens. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it, but, it is oh so hard to do. Common sense isn’t always common practice.
Entertainment is junk food. Social media is a drain on your brain. You can enjoy these things, but like everything else, do it in moderation. We have become slaves to our phones.
Daily Scripture and prayer is a must. Begin your day with prayer and Scripture reading. End your day in the same way, but add a little reflection on how your day went. What was good and not so good? How can you improve tomorrow?
Balance It Out
Reflect on your life. Think on those things you are grateful for. Make some adjustments in areas that need help. Begin with the right amount of good sleep. 7-8 hours is good. Add prayer. Limit tv and social media. Keep work to 8 hours daily. Every 50 minutes or so, stand and move about for 5-10 minutes to rejuvenate the blood flow. Add some volunteerism to your week. Do things for others.
Don’t think you have enough time in the day to add one more thing? Neither did I until I started keeping track of activities for a 24-hour period. Where are you wasting precious time in your day? Keep track of your time. Here is the Time Tracker Worksheet. Print off the worksheet and keep track of your activities. Do it for the next 3 days. You will be surprised at how much time you waste on unnecessary things. We need to act as if Jesus is coming to your house! lol. Get busy and organized with the things that matter.
There’s a balance to being Martha and Mary and enjoying the peace that comes from being ready to sit at the feet of Jesus. I appreciate you. Thanks for following along. God bless.–Barb
