“I have too many things to do.” “I don’t have enough time.” “I’m too busy”. Do any of these phrases sound familiar to you? They’re common phrases in today’s world. We even say them with a sense of pride, as if our out-of-control schedules make us more important. Important or not, our out-of-control schedules have complicated our lives and are inflicting severe consequences. Sadly we suffer these consequences in the most important areas of our lives.

Luke 10:38-42 NIV
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “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.”

In today’s Bible reading we will look at a few of the severe consequences that result from an out-of-control agenda:

We become resentful of others
Upon the arrival of Jesus and his disciples, Martha immediately springs into action while Mary chooses to hang with Jesus. In no time Martha feels overwhelmed, too many things to do and not enough time to do them, so she becomes resentful of her sister Mary. An out-of-control schedule will cause you to resent the people closest to you.

We Become irritated–even with God
Martha is not only irritated with her sister; she also becomes irritated with her guest, with Jesus himself. Irritated to the point of asking Jesus if he cares. Imagine that, asking the person who was about to give up his life for you, if he cares.
An out-of-control schedule will cause you to become irritated even with God.

We confuse activity with progress
All of Martha’s activity did not produce progress. On the contrary, it had a negative effect with her sister, with Jesus and I suppose with the disciples too. An out-of-control agenda will fool you into believing that a lot of activity always results in progress.

We loose focus
Martha’s intentions were noble and good, but her out-of-control schedule distracted her from what was truly important. Jesus looks at a resentful, irritated and confused Martha and tells her there are many things to do but one of them is truly important…to relate, to spend time together.
An out-of-control schedule will cause you to loose sight of what is most important, the relationships.

A simple life starts by prioritizing relationships over accomplishments. A few well-invested minutes every day into the most important relationships in our lives is the most powerful tool for building a simpler life.

Heavenly Father, help me take control of my schedule, help me to prioritize time with my loved ones not just doing for them but being with them. Help me prioritize my time not just serving you but actually spending time with you.