To-Do Lists

A Biblical Account of a To-Do List

There’s a story in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus goes to stay at the house of two friends, Mary and Martha. Likely, a large crowd was him - possibly around 100 people. Rising to the occasion, Martha gets busy. There’s much on her to-do list: cleaning the house; preparing food, drawing water form the well, waiting on guests… Luke 10:40 tells us that in all her work, “Martha was distracted with much serving.” Mary, however, responds differently to Jesus’s visit. In verse 39, Luke tells us that Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.”

As moms with our own often burdensome to-do lists, we can easily sympathize with Martha. She was trying to serve others! She was taking her responsibilities seriously! Jesus, however, praises Mary. When Martha complains to Jesus about Mary’s lack of help, Jesus responds,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42, ESV)

Driven by Anxiety

Now, elsewhere in his teaching, Jesus commends diligent work. He commends faithful service. To Jesus, the issue with Martha isn’t her work. The issue is her heart behind the work: Martha’s heart is anxious.

Perhaps Martha was anxious about how her guests would perceive her and her house. Perhaps Martha was anxious to impress Jesus, to secure his approval with her service.

And can’t we resonate with this anxiety? On the surface, we cook good meals for the sake of our kids’ health; we keep a tidy house so our family stays sane; we stay on top of schedules and appointments for our kids’ wellbeing. But what lies beneath the surface?I wonder, like Martha, how often is anxiety actually the driver of our work? We’re anxious to feel like a good mom. We’re anxious for others to perceive us as a good mom. And from this anxiety, we work to check off the items on our ever-running list.

The Good Portion

I’m sure Mary cared about her hostess responsibilities, but she cared about one thing more: being with and listening to Jesus. And the choice to be with Jesus is, according to Jesus himself, “the good portion.”

The application of this story is not to abandon our to-do lists. It’s not to pass the day reading our Bibles and neglecting our responsibilities. The account of Martha and Mary is meant to lead us to ask:What is my heart ultimately set on? Do I prioritize being with Jesus or accomplishing my tasks? Am I seeking out Jesus’s presence or the approval of others?

When our heart values the person and presence of Jesus over our to-do lists, our work then flows from a place of freedom rather than striving. We are no longer working to feel enough or to prove our worth. Filled up by the person and the Word of God, our work then flows out of this fullness.

Trading Stress for Joy

When I’m preoccupied with and stressed over the tasks on my plate, I lose my sense of joy. That’s why Proverbs 31, in its description of a godly woman, convicts me so deeply. “Strength and dignity are her clothing,” it reads, “and she laughs at the time to come," (Proverbs 31:25, ESV). She laughs at the time to come. When I’m anxiously busy, laughter is the last thing coming out of my mouth. You’re more likely to hear comments of annoyance or self-pity coming from me.

But when, like Mary, we first seek to abide in the presence of Jesus, we find ourselves equipped with his strength to then engage in our work. Trusting and resting in Jesus, we are freed from our anxious striving and opened to joy.