Be a “Mary”

There was a study conducted in 2023 where over 50% of American respondents admitted to being addicted to their phones. Did you know this addiction has a name? It’s called Nomophobia and comes with a bevy of wild statistics. On average, Americans with nomophobia check their phone within 10 minutes of waking up, look at their screen once every 10 minutes, and check their smartphone an average of 144 times a day! Pretty wild, huh? Although, when we stop to think about it, many of us wouldn’t argue with those statistics. We may argue with the fact that we are “addicted”, but not that we do these things. In fact, the average daily screen time on smartphones is 2 hours and 51 minutes a day, but some of us know we have more screen time than that! The point of this isn’t to make you feel guilty about your digital relationship, it’s to make a point. When we spend so much time on our phones we may be physically present but we miss out on the connection with the rest of the world. Our phones can become a distraction that keeps us from being fully present and experiencing opportunities around us!

Many people who grew up in the Church know the story about Martha and Mary. Martha was the one who was hard at work, serving everyone who was at their home. Who doesn’t love a great host? Mary, on the other hand, wasn’t helping her sister, she was sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him teach. Although we may immediately feel like what Martha was doing was honorable and Mary should have been helping her, we see what was actually happening when we read Luke 10:40. Martha was distracted by all of the serving. Jesus, of all people, was in her house and yet she was so worried about serving others that she wasn’t able to hear Jesus’ teachings! When Martha approached Jesus and vented her frustrations that her sister, Mary, wasn’t helping her at all, Jesus explained that what Mary was doing was better. Mary was prioritizing her time with Jesus over the busyness of life. She wasn’t allowing life to distract her the way that Martha was!

In our modern world, we are faced with tons of distractions! It doesn’t have to be our smartphones; it can be important things like work, family, and responsibilities. Yes, these things are important, but if they keep us from having a deeper relationship with Jesus, we need to adjust things because we need a deep relationship with Jesus. In the midst of our busy lives filled with distractions let’s all try to be like Mary. Let’s choose what is better by making time to spend with Jesus.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Am I prioritizing time with Jesus over the busyness of my daily responsibilities?

2. What “good things” in my life may be distracting me from the best thing—being with Jesus?

What’s next?

1. Create intentional time with Jesus this week! Just as Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet, you can prioritize time each day to be still and hear from God.

2. Find a balance between service and rest! It’s easier said than done, but if you serve others, make sure to take time this week to create moments of rest.

Pray this prayer

God, you are worthy of my attention. I pray that you convict me of all the ways that I’m allowing the distractions of the world to detract from my time with you. Let me sit at your feet, Jesus, and prioritize your words over my worldly distractions.