“A certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word…

“…Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.”

And Jesus answered, “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 from her.”
–Luke 10:38, 40-42

Martha invited You into her home, but she did not sit at your feet.

Mary did nothing else, and it was enough.

One thing is needed.

Many things distract my mind, many things gnaw at my heart, but ONE thing is needed. That means the rest is optional.

I can do much work, much serving, much that is honorable, and miss the one thing that was NEEDED.

I can invite you in and then totally ignore you.

Or, I can lay aside my many priorities, lay down my many worries and tend to that one thing; it will not be taken away. Nothing else will swoop in and become more important. I will not look back and regret how I used my time. I can choose one thing, no matter how confusing and in pieces the rest of life is, and rest easy knowing I made the right choice.

“The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?”
–Proverbs 18:14

A broken spirit, who can bear?

Not me.

Again and again I drop here, exhausted, exasperated, discouraged, and ask you for help. I cannot handle it out there.

Just when I start to feel like my bubbly self again and I’m noticing the sunshine and breathing in sweet friendship and finally feeling my tentative roots sink into the warm earth and settle; I am blind-sided by another blow that knocks the wind out of me and bowls me over, leaving me raw and exposed.

I cannot wait for things to stop hitting me to feel grounded and content. Life is a storm, always blowing, always hitting hard. I cannot afford to wait for a lull to be ok.

It is better to leave the house and my life a mess and sit at your feet, leaning forward into what you will say, than to waste away inside as I attempt to make sense of things and fix and clean and polish, all the while casting dirty looks toward those who don’t seem to notice I need help. They are the wrong ones to ask.

When I feel exhausted and frustrated and beat down, I must decide this: I need help. It is not beautiful to push forward, tired, hopeless, steps dragging with many worries and troubles, because I “should.”

Hope is found at your feet.
Help is found at your feet.
Rest is found at your feet.

One thing is needed.

I cannot bear a broken spirit. So teach me that it’s ok to drop the ball and leave the mess and come running for help.

One thing is needed.
It’s you.
And it will not be taken away from me when I need it most.