There are many tasks to complete before welcoming someone into your home, but once your guest arrives he or she should be made to feel valued. Your guest is more important than the details surrounding their visit. This is where Martha went wrong, but her sister Mary got it right. Mary knew whose presence she was in, and cherished every moment she had with her Savior. So she “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.”

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…” – (Luke 10:40-41)

There is a fine line between anxiety and anger. And when this line is crossed, we usually don’t recognize it for what it is. Instead we excuse it as irritability or frustration. But could something more be going on?

Anxiety often results in becoming annoyed with other people who don’t appear to be as concerned as we are. When this occurs it typically spawns other sins. This is the case with Martha. Luke sets the stage: “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:38-39)

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