Rest alludes me. I think it’s waiting for me at the next corner after a busy day or week (or month or year…!). But busyness has a way of sneaking in and filling the cracks, leaving no space between my endless rushing and an exhausted crashing into bed at night. 

Living as a cross-cultural worker in Asia Pacific, I spent years striving to live up to the expectations of everyone around me. Much like Martha, I made it my aim to always be ready to host, to visit, to lend a hand. I remember the burning questions I felt while sitting with my Muslim neighbors: Had I done enough? Had I attended enough weddings, cooked for enough community events, visited enough times to make the gospel worth hearing? Worth believing? 

I thought it would be easier to rest when I came back on home assignment to the US. It wasn’t! I remember sitting in my living room, taking a break from homeschooling and desperately feeling the need to rest at Jesus’ feet. However, there was also a newsletter and twelve thank you cards to write. How long could I wait for the freedom to sit at His feet? 

I wonder if Martha craved rest. I wonder if she’d even planned to rest at Jesus’ feet at some point during the visit. Maybe once the chores were done. Once dinner was on the table, feet were washed, kitchen tidied, and floor swept. Maybe then she could sit with the Master. I wonder if she felt torn, like I have, rushing around in her service as if it were a divine prerequisite to such rest. 

Jesus’ gentle words to Martha resonate deeply inside of me. One thing worth being concerned about. One thing required. Read the passage again and let it soak deep into the corners of your soul. In your crazy, demanding, need-filled existence, there is just one thing your Master requires of you. Sit and rest at His feet. His Word and His direction won’t fail you, and not a single task worth finishing will be left undone when He is leading.