“’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 10:41-42).
“Don’t just stand there – do something!” I can remember my father saying these words to me while we were building a house, working in the garden, or doing some other project. He had a point as we were there to work and he was teaching me a good work ethic, which I am thankful for. If we don’t do something, nothing gets done.
Contrast that with Henry Blackaby’s statement in Experiencing God, “Don’t just do something – stand there!” His point is: “you need to take time to hear from God before you act.” There is a need to find the balance between my dad’s statement and Henry Blackaby’s statement. We need to find the right formula between being and doing.
This is the point that Jesus was making with Martha. Jesus had come to the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany. He began to teach to those in the house. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening intently to every word He was saying. Meanwhile, Martha was busy working on preparing a meal as well as other things. Apparently, she could not convince Mary to help her so she asked Jesus to intervene. Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, 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.”
We must be careful to not equate our doing with being. I am reminded of these verses in Matthew 7, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22-23). This informs us that WE CAN BE DOING WITHOUT BEING. On the other hand, THERE CANNOT BE BEING WITHOUT DOING. Therefore, we see that BEING must be emphasized before DOING. It is intentionally choosing “what is better.”
We like to focus on our “doing” because we can measure that. It is tangible. In fact, in the Church, we promote doing. We ask believers to attend, serve, give, witness, etc. We can acquire tangible external data for these activities. We must be careful to not promote the “doing” over the “being.” It is hard to gauge the internal – the being.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of “being” in John 15:5. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” This is a powerful and sobering truth. My “doing” without “being” will not accomplish anything that will last for eternity. We must be continually reminded of this because, like Martha, our “doing” can become a major distraction that can keep us from our “being”.
What is the balance between “being” and “doing”? First, the Lord says, “Don’t just do something – stand there.” We must first sit at His feet to hear from God’s Word and Spirit. Then He says, “Don’t just stand there – do something.” Once we get our “word from the Lord” we quickly respond in total obedience.
Don’t get so focused on your “doing” that you forget your “being”. When you focus first on your “being” you will accomplish most in your “doing”..