What would you like to be doing today? Maybe you’re interested in the sort of mission work Jesus sent the seventy out to do at the beginning of this chapter (Luke 10:1). Or maybe you’ve taken Jesus’ story about the Good Samaritan seriously (Luke 10:30-35), and you’d like to care for the needy. Or maybe, like Martha, you’ve got some house-cleaning to do if you want to have guests over (Luke 10:38-40).

But it’s not so easy to have house parties these days, is it? We aren’t allowed to visit folks in the nursing home, either. We can’t give the handshakes and hugs we all so desperately need – it’s even hard to put on fundraisers for worthy causes when people are hesitant to get together. Because of the COVID virus, so many of the things we would like to do are just off-limits, at least for now.

But have we really made the most of all the extra time we have on our hands? Mary did. While Martha was busy doing all her good works, Mary was just sitting – but she was sitting at the feet of Jesus, humbling herself before Him, hanging on His every word. In other words, Mary may have been still, but she wasn’t idle. She was focused on “the good part” of life, the most important thing, her relationship with the Lord.

So, how will we use the extra time COVID has given to us? What will we do with all that extra room on our calendars? If we follow Mary’s example, our time of stillness can be a great blessing to us. For if we’ll draw near to the Lord in prayer, allowing Him to reassure us with His Sacraments and to teach us His will through His Word, we’ll be prepared for whatever works He has for us to do – whenever the time is right.

Luke 10:38-42 (NASB)

38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord’s word, seated at His feet.
40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
42 but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”