The Urgent vs. The Important

Recently I've been taking stock of what I've accomplished and what I haven't, and I think about the urgent vs. the important. It seems like a lack of time is the reason a lot of things don't get done, yet we all have the same 24 hours each day. It may be a problem of how we spend our time; how we let the urgent, not the important, rule us.

Only One Thing

This line of thinking reminds me of Mary and Martha. If ever there were two people in the Bible who exemplify the urgent vs. the important, it's these two. You know the story: Jesus came to their house for dinner and Mary sat at His feet to hear Him teach, but Martha was in the kitchen trying to get dinner on the table for the whole crowd.

Luke 10:40 says, Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Jesus and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.'

Martha was a worker, an organizer who made things happen. She makes me laugh, because I see myself! Can you imagine her working so hard and getting herself into such a state that she marched out to the living room and yelled at the King of kings and Lord of lords? She probably sounded like a petulant child complaining to her parent: "Mom, she's not helping me!"

Poor Martha. The urgent really had hold of her. Jesus' answer gives us a powerful truth: Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her (vv. 41, 42).

Have you ever been worried and troubled about many things? Have you ever wondered why there's too much to do and not enough time? Why no one is helping you? Why you're stressed and overburdened? Jesus gives us a clue when He says, "Only ONE THING is needed." Not 20 things. And Mary chose that one thing.

Time spent at the feet of Jesus. Putting Him first, even when there's a lot to do. Even when you don't think that's the answer, resting in God's presence is the one important thing needed that can put everything else into order.

Don't Miss a Miracle

I know, you're thinking, Well, someone had to fix dinner that night. Someone has to work and do the urgent things in my life, too, and it falls to me. But what if Martha had sat down at Jesus' feet too? Not long before, He had supernaturally fed 5,000 people. Do you think He'd run out of miracles? Did Martha miss another miracle that night because she was too busy striving and trying to do it all herself? Selah.

What might happen in our lives if we took Jesus' advice and made this "one thing" a priority? Remember, life does not depend on you doing everything ...it depends on you rolling everything over onto God, hearing His voice, following His leading, delighting yourself in Him. The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Without the Word of God being the important priority in your life, you're subject to the demands of the urgent, and you're living life in your own strength. When the tyranny of the urgent denies us time to draw near to our life source, life can lose its meaning and focus. I encourage you to prioritize - only one thing is needful!