A Theology of Enough Time - Day Four: "You Are More Than Your Productivity"

“We are not what we do. We are what we love.” — James K. A. Smith

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.” — Luke 10:41

I have some sympathy for Martha.

Actually, a lot.

Jesus arrives at her home with people who need to be fed.

Someone has to do the work.

Someone has to prepare the meal.

Someone has to clean up.

And her sister Mary?

Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet.

She's in the room with all of the disciples, which was also a cultural faux pas. 

Women weren't supposed to hang with men being taught by a rabbi in first-century Jewish culture. 

Which I'm sure chafed Martha as well.  

Eventually Martha has had enough.

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?”

I understand that question.

We've all been in situations where we felt like all the work landed on us because someone else wasn't doing what they were supposed to do. 

Jesus responds:

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.”

I don't think Jesus is criticizing work.

The world needs Marthas.

Meals don't cook themselves.

Children need feeding.

Churches need volunteers.

Bills need paying.

Someone has to take out the trash.

Work can be holy.

The problem isn't that Martha is working.

The problem is that Martha has become worried and distracted.

Her work has consumed her attention.

Maybe even her identity.

We can do that too.

Someone asks who we are, and we immediately talk about what we do.

We measure our days by what we accomplished.

A productive day feels good.

An unproductive day feels wasted.

Eventually, without realizing it, we can begin to believe our worth depends on our usefulness.

But what happens when we can't produce anymore?

What happens when illness slows us down?

When retirement comes?

When our bodies age?

When the job ends?

When we simply don't have the energy we once had?

Are we worth less?

Of course not.

Mary sits at Jesus' feet and does absolutely nothing productive.

And Jesus says she has chosen something good.

She receives.

She listens.

She is present.

Maybe some of us need permission to do the same.

You are not a machine.

You don't have to justify your existence by constantly producing something.

Before you accomplished anything today, you were already loved.

Before you checked the first item off your list, you were already enough.

Your worth is not measured by how much you accomplish. You were loved before you did anything today.

May we learn what it means to embrace this truth about ourselves, and may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.  

Prayer

God, forgive me when I confuse my productivity with my worth. Thank you for work that gives purpose and meaning, but remind me that I am more than what I accomplish. Teach me when to work and when to sit, when to give and when to receive, when to move and when simply to be with you. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. How closely is your sense of worth connected to what you accomplish?
2. How do you feel when you have a day in which you are not “productive”?
3. What would it look like for you to simply sit at Jesus' feet for a while?