Balance At WorkSample

Living an Integrated Life 

Think about all the different aspects of your life – family, work, faith, friends, and fun. It’s common practice to see each of these areas as separate, each having its own compartment in our minds, hearts and schedules. We work Monday through Friday, looking forward to the weekend. We worship on Sunday, and tuck the lessons we learned from the sermon away in the back of our minds as we start the work week. We turn to Jesus in our morning quiet time, but often forget about, or don’t even consider, turning to him in the midst of a busy work day. Even the phrase “work-life balance” infers that work is separate from life when, in actuality work is a major part of life.

In this story, Jesus and his disciples were traveling through Bethany when Martha opened her home to them. Both Martha and Mary loved Jesus deeply. They both knew that Jesus was the Messiah. They both took opportunities to listen to his teachings. But after Jesus entered her home, Martha immediately went to work hosting. Mary, on the other hand, immediately sat at the feet of Jesus to listen to his teaching. 

What was wrong with Martha’s attitude? Serving, in and of itself, was not wrong. It was what Martha’s culture expected of her. But Jesus used the opportunity to teach us that God’s priorities are different from what society expects. 

Perhaps one of the mistakes Martha made was to see the situation as either/or – serve or listen. Perhaps she could have done a little less serving and a lot more sitting at the Lord’s feet, integrating the two as opposed to compartmentalizing.

Do you compartmentalize the different activities in your life? Is work separate from service or from worship?

Prayer

Lord, help me to see all of the aspects of my life as one integrated whole. Help me break down the barriers of compartments and shift into a workflow that is pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Further Exploration  

 View this PDF, “A Look at Balance God’s Way ,” by Workmatters.

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