In Luke 10:38–42, we’re introduced to two sisters: Martha and Mary. When Jesus comes to visit their home, Martha immediately gets to work—preparing, serving, making sure everything is just right. Mary, on the other hand, does something that feels almost irresponsible in that moment: she sits at Jesus’s feet and listens.
Martha, understandably overwhelmed, finally voices what many of us have felt: “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” (v. 40). She’s busy doing good things—serving, hosting, caring. Yet Jesus gently responds, “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…”
Only one thing is needed.
How often do we live like everything is needed?
As women—especially as moms, leaders, caretakers, and friends—our days fill quickly with responsibilities. We carry mental lists, emotional burdens, and the constant pressure to “do it all.” Much like Martha, we can find ourselves serving Jesus… without actually sitting with Him.
The tension in this story isn’t about serving versus not serving. Serving matters. Hospitality matters. Showing up for others matters. But Jesus is pointing to priority, not productivity. Martha wasn’t wrong for serving—but she was distracted, anxious, and missing the very presence she was working so hard to honor.
Mary chose differently. She chose stillness over striving. Presence over pressure. She chose to sit at His feet—to listen, to receive, to simply be with Him.
And Jesus calls that “better.”
There is a quiet invitation in this story for you today: You don’t have to earn closeness with God by doing more. You are invited to come close by simply being with Him.
It might look like five quiet minutes before the house wakes up. It might look like turning off the noise in the car and talking to Him instead. It might look like opening your Bible not to check a box, but to hear His voice.
Because the truth is—when we sit at His feet first, everything else flows differently. Our serving becomes joyful instead of draining. Our hearts become anchored instead of anxious. Our identity shifts from what we accomplish to who we belong to.
The world will always tell you there is more to do. Jesus gently reminds you there is something better to choose.
Today, choose the better portion.
Sit with Him.
Devotion was written by Amy Carrico.
Last Updated on May 5, 2026
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