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 10:40-42 NIV). 

As a volunteer with our youth group, I get so excited to see each student get prepared for special events such as this weekend’s Youth Sunday or our upcoming summer camp trip. The students are so eager to serve and to spend time learning with one another, and it is truly a beautiful thing to witness. They have the opportunity to serve the church and community in unique and spiritually guided ways both during Youth Sunday and summer camp, whether it be participating on the worship team or handing out meals to people in the community. They are spectacular hands and feet of Jesus. 

Sometimes, though, the excitement of these events can distract the students from the goal – which is to serve the Lord. It can be hard to not get distracted by the attention or social aspects of these events. This isn’t just the case for these students, it can be a challenge for all of us. We are often distracted by the circumstances around the ministry that we forget that ministry is supposed to be God-centered. 

Guess what? This doesn’t just happen today. Distractions from ministry happened back in biblical times, too! This week’s passage depicts the ways that Mary and Martha reacted to Jesus’ presence in their home. Mary jumped right into conversations with him and quickly took on the role of a curious disciple, while Martha became concerned with how she should prepare her house for a guest – she wants everything to be perfect for Jesus. In that moment, her ministry was supposed to be accompanying Mary in the conversation with Jesus, but she got distracted by other things, just like we do.

Jesus’ response to Martha’s actions is a glimpse into what he desires from us. He does not simply desire our ministry to be busy and flustered with extra tasks. He just wants us to learn to be with him before we start doing for him. By doing this, we can lean away from the distractions that pull us away from the Almighty Lord. How can we prepare ourselves to be in the presence of Jesus with no distractions in our ministry?

How have you been distracted in your places of ministry? Have you done actions of ministry with the wrong motives, for pride or personal gain, rather than honoring the Lord? This week, how will you recenter your ministry around the Lord, just how Jesus called Martha to do?