“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 10:41-42
One of my favorite recovery slogans is “Easy does it.” Being an overachiever/perfectionist, I didn’t understand it at first. It felt like a copout for slackers. Whenever I’d mention my business plans to an oldtimer in recovery, they’d smile at me as say, “Easy does it.” It irritated me! Didn’t they know how much I had to do to get back on my feet after my brain injury?
The old timers were right, however. Those three simple words pack a huge punch. When we “take things easy,” and attend to the important things, life is far less complicated and stressful and we accomplish more! Jesus highlighted the importance of “easy does it” when he visited the two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha scurried about cleaning and prepping food while Jesus was their guest. Mary, on the other hand, didn’t make a fuss about his visit. She sat quietly at his feet and listened to him. Mary paid attention to what mattered.
We will be far less stressed and accomplish more in the long run, if we practice “easy does it.” We may even discover that we feel less resentments. It was Martha afterall, who was angry and upset, not Mary. How do we practice “easy does it?” We focus on the necessary things. We don’t complicate things. We don’t add any drama. And, we don’t stress!
F.R.O.G. Practice: Today, take some time to be still and quiet. Pray and listen for God’s guidance about what you should focus on. Don’t stress trying to impress like Martha did. Simply do what God bids you to do. Easy does it!
