If we are busy with minutia at the expense of weightier matters, then we are too busy. The Savior taught this poignant lesson as recorded in the tenth chapter of Luke. Two sisters, Martha and Mary, were hosting an important dinner at which Jesus was the honored guest. The Savior knew and loved this family, including Lazarus of Bethany, brother to Martha and Mary. (see John 11:1-3). Martha was busy preparing the meal, while Mary sat at the Savior’s feet to listen to His instruction. Exasperated by Mary’s failure to pitch in, Martha complained to Jesus: “Lord, does thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?–bid her therefore that she help me” (Luke 10:40). In a mild but pointed rebuke, Jesus observed: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). He then taught: “Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).
We have all busied ourselves for an honored guest. In such matters we worry about the mundane but necessary preparations: Is the roast drying out? Is the table setting just right? Are the children well-behaved? What about the house?–it’s such a mess! Perhaps we can identify with Martha’s preparations as she was “cumbered about much serving” (Luke 10:40). Martha performed the heavy lifting while Mary apparently failed to lift a finger. Given the special occasion, perhaps we feel that Jesus was a bit harsh on His gracious hostess. Not so.
In the music of our daily business there are necessary up-tempos which often overshadow our song. Each of us has been guilty of being much “cumbered about” as we ran around the circle of works. In such chaos the centrifugal force propels us outward, away from the center of life’s weightier matters. Like the important feast at which Jesus had so much more to offer than any hostess could possibly provide, we can slow our pace for the instructional feast which the gospel so richly offers. By slowing down for General Conference, scripture study, personal and family prayer, and temple worship we can sit at the Savior’s feet for the things which matter most. In this way our preparations are not for meat and bread, but for sharing the table of discipleship with our neighbors, for lifting hands which hang down, and for nourishing our souls with the Bread of Life. As we share that meal, we are forever fed.
Some years ago my wife and I hosted Elder Hugh Pinnock of the Seventy in our home. I fretted about his visit: What would he think of our house?–our family?–our meals and lifestyle? At bedtime, I worried about his sleeping accommodations as our young daughters gave up their (sometimes messy) room. Our gracious guest was kind and loving toward our family and did his best to assure us that simpler was better. Instead of stone-ground wheat waffles with hand-picked strawberries from our garden, Elder Pinnock requested Cheerios and toast. Instead of a picture-perfect well-behaved family, he preferred the reality of family give-and-take, laughter, and the occasional tiff layered among the love of every large family. Because he was so kind, we felt relaxed. I noted how much our children wanted to listen to the many life-lessons he brought with him. Later that day at stake conference, the messages he shared and the testimony he bore left a lasting impression. To this day I can’t remember the meals we prepared for Elder Pinnock, but I do remember his lessons, his love and his spirit.
The word cumbered means “hindrance” or “to clutter up.” The opposite of being cumbered is to have burdens lifted. No doubt Mary helped Martha before the Savior’s arrival at the feast, but when the Master sat down, Mary stilled her business to listen. Like a great symphony, life’s crescendos are more breathtaking in the silence between the notes. May we know when to be still from being “careful and troubled about many things” so that we may be unencumbered to receive the most important few things.
