Pursuing Kingdom Productivity
The secular view of productivity focuses primarily on completing tangible tasks in order to achieve an end goal. With that world-view, activities such as Bible reading, prayer, meditation, discipleship, evangelism etc. are pushed down our to-do list and replaced with tasks that produce immediate and visible results.
That is the threat of devoting time to studying secular models of managing time. If one was able to study these models with a singular view of learning tools and techniques, then these strategies could prove to be valuable. But most of us are unable to consume a source of information without its essential message permeating our being.
So, though we may not realize it, the goal of exclusively obtaining physical results infiltrates our consciousness and we begin to cultivate a “Martha” disposition toward our success, all the while disregarding the “Mary” lifestyle. Let’s take a look at the story of Mary and Martha and how Jesus responded to their pursuits.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 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 10:38-42)
Working For vs. Being With
In the scripture above we see Martha working diligently to prepare and care for her guests. Most would view this as a noble and necessary task, in no manner deserving rebuke. And they would be right, except for one thing. Martha had become so consumed in the work of serving that she disregarded the most important reason for having guests over in the first place, which is cultivating relationship.
Her focus was merely on working for the guests, and she neglected spending adequate time with them. It’s important to mention that these were not just some random friends that she was overlooking. This guest happened to be Jesus, the Savior of the World! To be clear it was not Martha’s serving that Jesus was rebuking. He was instead confronting the spirit in which the service was being performed.
Joanna Weaver further details this in her book, Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us From the Inside Out. She explains her surprise in realizing that “when Jesus scolded Martha about her busyness, He wasn’t condemning her efficiency and hard work or her can-do personality. He wasn’t telling her she had to be just like Mary to please Him. Jesus simply didn’t want Martha to be so caught up in kitchen service for Him that she missed out on the joy of living-room intimacy with Him” (emphasis in the original).[1]
Recipe For a Cold Heart
Unfortunately, I find myself guilty of the same thing when I focus my attention on completing tasks above cultivating an intimate relationship with Jesus. I can become so consumed in serving God, my family, or myself that my relationship with God ends up becoming dull and dry.
Now let’s set one thing straight, serving the Lord does further my relationship with Him, but only to the extent that my serving is accompanied by intimate fellowship with Him. To merely spend time serving Him without spending time with Him is a recipe for a cold heart.
Switch your focus now from Martha to Mary. First, it is vital to note the physical position that Mary selected. Unlike Martha who was bustling to and fro, Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus. She elected for a posture of submission with a fixed concentration on being in His presence.
Any parent can relate to why this would be “the good part” (Luke 10:42). If you are a mother or father, would you enjoy your child spending countless hours away working to pay for an extravagant gift for you? Or would you rather have your child replace the time working for you and instead spend that time being with you?
Most parents would much rather choose to spend time with their child. To have their child far away from them, in an attempt to serve them, falls immensely short of cultivating a relationship together. Our relationship with Father God is no different.
Though God appreciates our service and desires to partner with us in expanding His Kingdom, Jesus’ first priority is connecting with our hearts. From this intimate connection He brings about change in us through His presence. Mary recognized this desire from Jesus and it inspired her to enter into deeper communion with Him.
[1] Joanna Weaver, Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us From the Inside Out (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2006), 3.