“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.” – Luke 10:41-42
The strangest thing happens when we work too closely with an art piece. Over time, we get “tunnel vision”. Things like the overall balance, perspective, contrast, etc. can be off just slightly enough. This is because our clearest vision is in the center of our eyes. Anything in your peripheral vision is not in focus. Working too closely with a part of the piece can often leave most of the work in peripheral vision. Taking a step back from the art piece allows our eyes to relax and take in the whole composition at once in its entirety rather than viewing it from microscopic view point. Extremely close proximity makes it difficult for the mind to properly discern color balance, overall balance of the composition, contrast, perspective, etc. Stepping back allows the mind to process the piece as a whole and for these elements to work together as they should.
These few weeks many of us are focused on Back-to-School. We are either sending our kids or we are going to school ourselves. These changes from a relaxing summer to sudden busyness can be quite jarring for some of us. We have to adjust to new schedule, demanding school work, and competing priorities.
Let’s take the time to step back and refocus our priorities in our life. Let’s ask, “What is the most important thing to do and why are we doing it?” Just like an artist that work too closely with an art piece and lose the overall balance, we can lose the overall balance of our life too.
Jesus reminded Martha – and us – what should be our concern, where is our focus, what should take a front row seat in our hearts and minds, and finally, what is our relationship with Him?
When we concentrate on Jesus first, we discover that we are never truly alone or without help. We experience that His grace is sufficient for all that we face (2 Corinthians 12:9). We find inner peace and strength to face whatever comes our way (John 14:27). Those are the kinds of truth that keep us calm even in the busiest seasons of our lives.