Beating the Daily Grind

“And as they went, it happened that He entered into a certain village. And a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she came to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42).

Martha is so much like us, don’t you think? Most of us live life in a frenzy. Unless we have too many irons in the fire, we’re not “satisfied.” We think the only way to make life fulfilling is to overcommit ourselves in every direction. We have so many demands on our time that we’re always racing against the clock. Most of us can relate to the sentiment of Alabama’s song, “I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.”

Now, I’m not suggesting we drop all of our responsibilities and become freeloaders. Laziness is not a godly quality. But there’s no profit in spreading ourselves too thin, either. In fact, it’s harmful. We may involve ourselves in so many different things that we can’t devote enough time or energy to any of them. Instead of doing a few things well, we do a whole bunch of things poorly. And unfortunately, that includes things spiritual. Many of us are so overloaded with temporal concerns that we live in constant anxiety and can’t possibly give our best to God. With that in mind, here are three Bible-based suggestions for beating the daily grind.

1. Learn to be content. Even life’s honorable pursuits can’t bring us real fulfillment. Multiplying them until we’re hard-pressed to keep up certainly won’t help! Solomon came to realize that a life consumed by work is vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:4-23). There was nothing he lacked the resources to do or build, yet he found no satisfaction in it. “Is it not good that he should eat and drink and make his soul see good in his labor? This I also saw, that it was from the hand of God” (verse 24). Whatever you’re able to do well, be content with it. Whatever you’re able to provide, be satisfied with it.

Contentment doesn’t come automatically; it has to be learned (see Philippians 4:11). But every child of God has a head start, because the greatest contentment of all is knowing that you are justified before God in Christ. It’s sad, then, that many Christians still aren’t at peace. They go on striving, struggling, trying to find happiness in earthly pursuits (as noble as they may be), not realizing that the peace which passes all understanding is already theirs!

2. Learn to replace anxiety with prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Which do you spend more time on, worry or prayer? Which makes more sense? Jesus taught “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). We are to pray without doubting, knowing that our God is able to do all things (James 1:5f). We are to pray persistently, knowing that God cares and will provide what we need (Luke 11:5f). Even the necessities of life — food, clothing, shelter — need not be a source of anxiety for us. God has promised to meet those needs if we give Him first place (Matthew 6:25-33). And that brings me to another point.

3. Make sure your life has the right goal. If your life seems out of control, take some time to re-evaluate what’s important to you. Is God first? Really? Part of the reason our lives get so overcrowded is that we devote too much of them to money, recreation, hobbies, and entertainment, while our Lord, the church, and our families have to “take a number.” Jesus warned that the “cares of the world” can choke His word from our hearts and make us unfruitful (Matthew 13:22). A lot of us have no concept of sacrifice. We’re going to have to give up some things — even good, wholesome, constructive things — if we want to succeed as Christians.

Mary seized the opportunity to hear Jesus. Unlike her sister, she saw what was of greater importance. (Notice that Luke says it was Martha who was “distracted.”) “Do not labor for the food that perishes,” Christ tells us, “but for that food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of man will give you” (John 6:27). Are we instead letting life’s smaller concerns — and they are smaller — keep us from things of great spiritual value? Do we have so many secular commitments that we can’t even make room for something so vital as worship? Do we spend more time reading progress reports and newspapers than God’s word? Are worldly social obligations keeping us from being hospitable to our own brothers and sisters? Are our families so scattered that we can’t even sit down together for a meal? Many of us must answer an embarrassed “Yes.” And that’s a good sign that we’ve lost our focus. Remember: Nothing is more important than the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If you’re too busy for God, then you’re too busy!