When Busyness Crowds the Heart

In this episode of Living in Step with the Holy Spirit, Bruce Downes reflects on Luke 10:41–42 and the story of Mary and Martha.Martha welcomes Jesus into her home. She wants to serve Him well. Her intentions are good, and her love for Jesus is real. But somewhere in the middle of serving Jesus, she stops being present to Jesus.Bruce reminds us that this can easily happen in our own lives. We may not deliberately turn away from God. We may not consciously decide to neglect prayer or ignore the Holy Spirit. But responsibilities increase, demands multiply, schedules become full, and the pace of life accelerates.Before long, we can remain busy without remaining attentive to God.Jesus does not shame Martha. He speaks her name with tenderness and invites her back to the one thing necessary.The Christian life does involve activity, service, work, sacrifice, and care for others. But the question is whether our activity is flowing from relationship with God or slowly replacing it.Today’s invitation is to pause, return to Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to reorder the heart.