Luke 10:38-42

³⁸As Jesus and his apprentices went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet riveted as she listened to everything that Jesus said, drinking it all in deeply. She enjoyed spending time quietly with Jesus, listening closely to his teaching and wanting to learn from him. ⁴⁰Martha, however, was getting more and more flustered and upset as she was taken up with everything she had to do. Tension erupted between the two sisters. So Martha went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, aren’t you bothered that my sister has left me to get on with everything all by myself? Don’t you care? I’ve been slaving away in the kitchen while she’s just sitting there, not even lifting a finger to help me! You know, I’d love to spend time just listening to you but someone has to get the dinner ready! Tell her to come and help me at once!’ 

⁴¹The Lord answered her tenderly but firmly, ‘Martha, my dear Martha, you’re stressed out and overwhelmed by many things. ⁴²Choose to slow down from all your busyness. There are a few things that need doing but only one thing really matters, which is simply being with me. Mary has chosen what is better, which won’t be taken away from her.’