Slowly she made her way, careful to not bump into any of the men in the room, until she found an open spot right in front of the man teaching. She knew He had the words of life, and her heart burned within her as He spoke. She also knew there was a lot of work to get done – food to make, linens to wash, bowls to borrow from the neighbor. But all those things could surely wait. 

I wonder if perhaps this picture of Mary, sister of the ever-busy Martha, gives us a picture of self-care. Mary chose to put first what she could not live without. 

Some people say self-care is bubble baths and scented candles. Relaxation is important and certainly a part of caring for ourselves. But sometimes self-care needs to go deeper. Maybe self-care is not merely a short escape from our lives but spending time with the Source of life.  

When I stay focused on what needs to be done – the never-ending tasks of ministry and motherhood and daily living – I focus on the tasks that deplete my strength and leave me longing for bedtime. The real fruit of those endeavors – addressing the needs of the heart, teaching truth, encouraging weary souls – might get lost in the “doing.”  

As Jesus prepares to go to the cross, He leaves His disciples with an important perspective on who they are and who He is. He told them that He is the vine and they are the branches connected to that vine (John 15:1-5). As followers of Jesus, we also get grafted into this vine.  

“Apart from me you can do nothing,” Jesus told His disciples. He doesn’t expect us to do great things by ourselves. How freeing! The fruit we hope to see is only possible when we are connected to the vine and letting Him do His good work. 

We know, as Martha did, that things have to get done. But on our own, we will run out of steam. Instead, we can choose what is best and sink back into the vine through prayer and reading God’s word, through worship and confession, through bringing our hearts back to rest with our Savior.