Called To Rest

Called to Rest

My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Luke 10:41-42

MARTHA WAS BOTHERED that Mary wasn’t as worried as she was. Work needed to be done, and Mary was listening to Jesus rather than being a good hostess and helping out. Martha’s literal complaint to Jesus began with “Do you not care?” (verse 40, ESV). It sounds awfully similar to the words the disciples once spoke to Jesus when the waves of a storm were crashing into their boat (Mark 4:38). On that occasion, Jesus had been resting in his Father’s love even as the storm raged. Here, Mary is resting in Jesus’ love even while her sister storms about. Apparently, resting in God can look a lot like not caring.

We see that all around us, don’t we? When people are completely stressed out about a pandemic, a rumor of war, or a threatening political or social trend, they tend to look at those who are calmly trusting their Father as uncaring, insensitive, even irresponsible. That’s because internal peace can look remarkably similar to apathy at times. Since many people seem to believe that worry is the best motivator for action, they see a lack of it as evidence of inaction—even when the peaceful heart has taken all necessary precautions or preparations.

The heart of faith, however, refuses to get upset over the details that other people may think are necessary. We want to be responsible and do our part, and we certainly want to serve as Jesus called us to serve. But we don’t want to panic when the rest of the world is panicking. We are called to believe, trust, rest, and be patient. Those are difficult postures for alarmists to observe, and they are difficult for us to maintain in the face of criticism. But the life of faith compels us. If we are in the center of God’s will, all is well, even when it isn’t well by human standards. Only one thing is worth being concerned about: clinging to the words and will of the Savior.

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.