Martha and Mary: What Matters Most

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her".
-Luke 10:39-42

Did I really eat that muffin this morning? I can’t believe that I gained .75 pounds since yesterday, maybe its water weight. Why did my boyfriend order French fries, I am just going to eat them all! There are many things that people with eating disorders worry about, many of which people who do not have it would never understand.

Martha and Mary were close as sisters could be, but they had two completely unique personalities. Martha was a traditionalist; she believed that woman’s work was in the kitchen and with the family. Mary however, was a free-thinker; she was thirsty for knowledge and loved new ideas. Martha and Mary had invited Jesus when he was traveling from town to town likely for a meal and a place to stay.

Mary was at Jesus’ feet, listening to all the wonderful lessons he was teaching, she was all ears. Martha on the other hand, was likely trying to cook a meal, handle the children, clean the house, and was getting flustered that her sister was just sitting around listening to Jesus. Martha scolded Jesus asking if he did not care that she was doing all the work. Jesus responded back to Martha saying that she was worrying about things that were temporary, not as important as eternal life. He encouraged Mary to listen and learn.

In your life are you constantly worrying about your weight, food, and body-image, and don’t have time to learn and meditate on the word of God. There is so much time during the day, and if you are focusing all your time and attention on temporary things, the loss is yours. You will be able to receive such a peace if you focus on things that will last for an eternity. Next time you start to worry about your body, ask yourself if you have something else better to do. There is no need to focus on things that will fade and not matter in the long run.