The ‘One Good Thing’ – for You and Me!

Sometimes I just want to curl up and hiding away, just plain tired and I want to clock out and be renewed. 
It is sometimes lack of sleep or physical exertion, but mostly it comes from a deeper place of weariness of 
being, of spirit, a deep tiredness in my being. Everything builds up and wears me down until I need to 
withdraw from the chaos, the busyness, the stress, or the constant need to keep up. We live in a world where 
we are on show in so many ways and we are validated through what we are able to achieve or the persona 
of performance we can flash before the world. We are affirmed by ‘likes’ or ‘retweets’ and other social 
media recognition. Keeping up, being affirmed, and staying on top seems to be important in our 
contemporary world but it is so draining. When we fall behind, we feel we have failed, we have lost, and 
we are no longer in the race. There is guilt, shame, a sense of failure and despair. We become overwhelmed 
by life and the weariness of the competition from which we have been ejected.
When I do stop, by choice or force, I cannot stop immediately because my mind, my being is spinning 
out. I feel the oppressive forces calling me back, seductive, or demanding voices in my head, calling me 
back into the game – because this, supposedly, is life. It takes time and sometimes that comes through 
illness, a body crying out for release and peace. Sometimes I simply can take no more and withdraw from 
life. Sometimes peace and placableness arrive as gift, a surprising grace and I discover an alternate way 
that feels lifegiving and hopeful.
There’s a story I’ve heard in different iterations. It is about group of blokes travelling on a journey to a 
distant place. There was a mix of Indigenous and whitefellas, with the Indigenous leading the way in their 
car. But every so often, 100 kms or so, they would stop, get out, walk around, sit down, and talk for a bit, 
then get back in the car and travel on. After several such stops, one of the white blokes asks what is going 
on? Why do we keep stopping and wasting time – we could be there by now? The Aboriginal men are 
surprised and amused. One answers that they are allowing their spirits to catch up with their bodies.
I get that. The need to stop and let our spirits catch up to our bodies. My body rushing and doing too 
many things. My mind is in too many places, chaotic and demanding. I need to stop and let my spirit catch 
up. I need to stop and experience some wisdom, to hear a different voice, one that does not overwhelm and 
dominate, demand, and wear down. I realise that I yearn for the quiet and gentle voice that sometimes 
catches me out, appearing from the midst of struggle and chaos to bring peace and order to my world. That 
voice comes to me in different ways, through the lick of our dogs and their demand to stop and pat them, 
walk them, or play with them. I hear it in the beauty of the orchids flowering in our garden, crying out for 
me to stop and look. It is in a simple meal where instead of racing through with busy mind, desperate to 
meet demands etc, I sit and taste, enjoy and relax. It is a good book, with a story that inspires, moves, or 
challenges me, or music that stirs my soul. It comes in many ways and forms and stops me where I am to 
listen.
As I ponder the voice that comes, I hear it in Luke’s story of Jesus this week (Luke 10:38-42). It is a 
simple story of Jesus, and his disciples entered a village and a woman, named Martha, opened her house to 
him. Hospitality was really important in their world, especially hospitality to the visitor or stranger. Martha 
offers her house and goes about the important and sacred work of hospitality. She prepares food, beds, for 
these visitors. 
Martha has a sister, Mary. Whilst Martha dos the work of hospitality, Mary reclines Jesus’ feet and 
listens to his words. This creates enormous stress in the household, well in Martha who feels both let down 
by her sister and also horrified that Mary would engage in the practices and ‘work’ of males. The work of 
hospitality in the household probably fell then, as often today, to women. It was important, sacred work 
and part of the identity and role of women in the household in 1st century Palestine. Listening to a Rabbi 
was for men and Mary’s posture was male, not female. Martha was furious and you can imagine her belting 
pots and pans, making a racket in the bedroom and trying to draw attention to her work and get Mary of 
her backside and into the place of her real work.
Reflection Notes – 20/7/25
6
th Sunday after Pentecost – Geoff Stevenson
In the end, Martha marched straight into Jesus, confronted him with her problem, and demanded that he 
tell Mary to do what was right. This action was an act of inhospitality. Martha should never have brought 
her guest into the household conflict, but Jesus does not bat an eyelid. He simply replied: “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.”
Martha is distracted by many things, wearied, and worried but Mary has chosen the ‘one good thing.’ I 
read this and it stopped me. Wearied, worried, distracted… That’s me, distracted and caught up in many 
things. Tired, overwhelmed and feeling chaos within is a common feeling for me – when I stop enough to 
listen to my body and being. There are many things that distract, seduce, and drain me but what is the ‘one 
good thing’ that I need? 
The ’one good thing’ for Mary was to stop, act in a counter-cultural manner and sit before Jesus and 
listen to his words. Despite the cultural expectations of hospitality and perhaps her own role in that, Mary 
sits to listen to a voice of love, grace, and peace. Martha is distracted and worried. I do not read in this that 
Martha was necessarily expected to sit and listen to Jesus. \ words to her are about choosing the ‘one good 
thing’ for her, which may have been to joyfully and graciously fulfil her work, her responsibility and not 
worry about perfection or her sister. It seems that Martha’s issue may have more to do with her expectations 
of others, her demand that everyone comply with her view of the world or of her competing for attention 
and affirmation. Perhaps she considered her sister receiving favouritism or being offensive by sitting with 
the men. Could Martha accept her very significant and sacred role as the head of the household and provider 
of hospitality without demanding everyone else (ie Mary) fit her expectations?
As I ponder, I wonder about what the ‘one good thing’ for me is. How do I add to my own inner stress 
by demanding that others conform and do as I think they should? How am I distracted from my real work 
and life task by the expectations, seductions and demands of the world around me? How might I stop and 
hear the quiet, gentle voice of healing love and guiding Spirit, and let go of my own desire for control, to 
live into peace and grace?