The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-41 is a familiar one to many, especially women. The other day, I even ran across the term, “Martha Syndrome,” which I’m sure I have, because of a pronounced tendency (according to every single member of my immediate, and a significant percentage of my distant, family) to be “anxious and troubled about many things.”

My soul wants to dance, not be burdened by worries and anxiety. Dancer, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed prints at Amazon.com, art.com, Framed Canvas Art, iCanvasART.

That’s how the English Standard Bible quotes Jesus’s words; other translations use synonyms like “worried,” “bothered,” “distressed,” “distracted,” “upset,” and “disquieted.”  The God’s Word translation uses the word, “fuss,” which brings to mind Lucy from Charles Schultz’s Peanuts cartoon.

That whole litany of words in that list above is one that factors too prominently in my life, and if I allow them to take over — they do. For this reason, even though I self-describe myself as Martha, I give myself a break from shoving my feet into shoes that are too small for me and I learn from Mary: I can do this, I tell myself.

I can stop fussing. I can stop worrying. I can stop being anxious —

But not on my own. Only at the feet of Christ, listening to what He has to say, as opposed to what the news is telling me is happening, or the latest post on Facebook warns, or what my own thoughts insist.

I can have the better thing, that nothing can take away from me.

So can you. Please join me at Commonsense Christianity, BeliefNet, for the rest of the story, Anxious and Troubled about Many Things.