Surviving Holiday Entertaining: Lesson #2

When you feel yourself getting worried and upset by the “many things,” bring your focus back to the one thing that is necessary.

For those few of you who are faithful blog readers, you know I've talked about this one necessary thing before. Unfortuantely, I need to keep reminding myself about it! My Bible practically falls open to the first dinner where we meet Mary and Martha. If you remember, Martha was busily preparing dinner while Mary was, in Martha's opinion, lazily sitting at Jesus' feet. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen to spend her time more wisely. (You can read the story at Luke 10:38-42.)

I always felt a bit sorry for Martha. I mean, after all, someone has to make the dinner, right? But as I read the story more closely I get the impression that the problem was not that Martha was making dinner. The problem was that Martha, in Jesus’ words, was “worried and upset by many things,” forgetting that only one thing was really needed. She lost track of what was truly important that day.

I believe it is possible for each of us to serve a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving dinner to a house full of guests without becoming worried and upset by many things. But it will only be possible if we remember that just one thing is actually necessary in our guests' lives (as well as our own). And it will only be possible if we remember that the one necessary thing is not going to be on the table or in the centerpiece or freshly organized coat closet no matter how hard we try to make those things perfect. The one necessary thing will be Jesus and He will be there no matter what else is served. So this year, when I begin to feel distracted and distressed by the many things on my Thanksgiving "to do" list, I'm going to take a deep breath and try to focus back for a moment or two on the one thing that is truly necessary.

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her." Luke 10:41-42