Reading
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
Reflection
Would you like to be happier? Arthur C. Brooks, in his book The Happiness Files, advises: “A good happiness habit is to keep a journal of happy memories, such as fun days with loved ones and moments of peace and tranquility, and then turn to this journal in moments of strife and stress.”
In a happiness journal, what happy memories might you capture? How about when you received a special award for your hard work and achievement? That memory might bring happiness for a while, but it’s unlikely it would stand the test of time when mentally revisited. How about a raise you received at your job? Well, who doesn’t like to get a raise? Even so, the shine of that joy starts to wear off when you get used to the little shift in the size of your paychecks. How about enjoyable times you’ve spent with your family or close friends? Now that’s more likely to go the distance in providing good feelings when you recall such a memory!
Ultimately, how much we accomplish—whether it’s our daily to-do list or making it across a finish line in a marathon—is not integral to our happiness. Relationships are. If we don’t take the time to cultivate our closest relationships, it’s nearly impossible to be happy.
In our scripture reading, Jesus admonishes Martha because he wanted her to experience the happiness that comes when deepening our relationships. Martha had not slowed down enough to be with Jesus, not just around him. Jesus said Mary was choosing the better way, because Mary’s focus was on Jesus, not tasks.
Many of us can relate to what Martha is experiencing in this Bible passage. She’s feeling harried and worried as she tries to keep up with the chores of hosting. Has that ever happened to you? Perhaps you’re getting all the food prepared, scrubbing this and that, and focusing on what needs to be done rather than on who is there or why you’re doing the work in the first place. Soon, you realize you’re missing the chance to build a lasting memory of being together, all because you’ve been focused on accomplishing tasks.
Tasks—including those intended for good hospitality—are worthwhile. I don’t think Jesus intends to disparage task-oriented people or to downplay the importance of being diligent. I think he wants to remind us that people are not tasks. We probably all need that reminder from time to time.
Are we spending our time on things that build memories that could go in a happiness journal? Or do we just go from task to task? Are we starting to treat our time spent with people as a task, too? What if we spend our time giving our undivided attention to those whom God calls us to love? How might that add to our life happiness?
Prayer
Loving God, we know you want the best for us. You want us to be truly happy. Help us to avoid treating people as tasks to be accomplished, expectations to be met, or problems to be solved. Help us to experience the happiness of truly connecting with others, and then to store up those special memories so they can continue to nourish our stressed-out souls with additional happiness. Amen.
