Anxious and Troubled
"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “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 10:38–42)
Over the last several weeks Jesus has been zeroing in on our hearts, teaching us to ask questions about things like anger, lust, truth-telling, our motivations for spiritual disciplines, etc... This week in Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus continues his deep heart dive by honing in on our worry and anxiety. Like Martha in the passage above, it could be said of us that we are "anxious and troubled about many things". This is understandable; the world is full of trouble and our lives reflect that reality. Jesus certainly does not deny these realities nor does he invite us to a way of viewing the world that glosses over its difficulties. But Jesus does invite his followers to engage their difficulties through their relationship with him, with hearts that are fully surrendered to his care. This is a timely subject and I look forward to uncovering these deep and precious promises with you.
art by Morgan VanderMaas