To spend time with our Lord, we may have to leave some things undone.

38 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

When Jesus arrived at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, Mary turned her attention to the Lord. Meanwhile, Martha was distracted by the preparations (Luke 10:40) and became agitated that her sister wasn’t helping. We may be thinking Martha was right—if there was still work to be done, her sister should not have been sitting down. But Jesus lovingly reoriented Martha’s priorities and pointed her toward the truth (v. 42).

There are some important lessons to be learned from this story. To have fellowship with Jesus, we may have to leave some things undone. The Lord knew how hard the women had been working, but their greatest need was to spend time with Him. If we don’t continually choose to make that a priority in our life, we may miss something essential He wants to teach us. Jesus invites Martha (and us) to put aside temporary concerns and choose what matters most.

Establishing a habit of communing with the Lord is essential to spiritual health, and we can learn to maintain an awareness of Him even while doing our daily work. Connecting with Jesus regularly will sharpen our focus on God’s priorities and help us distinguish what is good from what is truly His best. May we choose the better way, as Mary did.