p. 636 | Work Not Worry

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 21, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 40.

Work Not Worry.

“It is not work, but worry, that kills,” we say; and we say truly, so far. Work is labor in the direction of the one thing we have to do. Worry is distracting thought about other things than the one thing we are doing. . . . Devotedness intensifies work, while it excludes worry. If we could only be wholly devoted to our proper work in hand, we should never be hindered by that worry that accomplishes nothing, and that destroys much good. This is a truth that is so applicable to the ordinary work of the housekeeper, in her every-day home life, as it is in the realm of the commander of an army, or of the sovereign of an empire. Not many things, but one thing, should have the whole attention for the time being. Attention to the one thing is the “work” that brings good results without breaking down the worker. Distracting thought about the many things is the “worry” that destroys the worrier, even while hindering his present efficiency in labor.

It was just at this point that there was the chief difference between Martha of Bethany and Mary of Bethany; albeit this is not the distinction which the commentators are accustomed to find in the record of these two sisters. Martha could seemingly never attend to one thing at a time to the forgetfulness of all things else. Mary could always give herself to the one thing of the hour, regardless of all other concerns. “Martha was distracted [‘cumbered’ our version gives it, but the Revision notes it in the margin as more literally ‘distracted,’ drawn two ways at once,] about much serving.” She was in a worry over the things that she could not do, as well as over those which she had to attend to. Her mind was always a divided mind, never at rest on one thing. Even the cooking of a dinner could not absorb her. She must run from the kitchen to the sitting-room, and concern herself over Mary’s inaction, and over the apparent lack of thoughtful sympathy on the part of Jesus. Had Mary been with her in the kitchen, Martha would have been likely to feel that somebody ought to look after their guest, and so to worry over his being left by himself. Not work, but worry, was what distracted Martha, and hindered her effective serving. . . . In addition to her one occupation for the hour, Martha must always worry herself over other things also. How different it was with Mary! When she sat and listened, she sat and listened—dinner or no dinner. When she gave herself to mourning, she forgot everything else. . . . Although Martha had left her to go out and meet Jesus, Mary could not stir from her attitude of grief until she was spoken to, and told that Jesus wished to see her. When she was moved to an act of loving devotedness, she lavishly poured out her unstinted treasures of affection, as if there were no other use of precious gifts than their bestowal on the then object of her devotedness. Mary always surrendered herself to the one thing she had to occupy her for the moment, with no worrying thought of anything outside of that occupation.

And this distinction it is that Jesus seems to emphasize in his passing upon the characteristics of the sisters severally: “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled [distracted with worry] about many things, but one thing [not many things, but one thing] is needful [and here is the difference between you and your sister]; for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” In this declaration, it is plain that Jesus approves the method of Mary, and disapproves the method of Martha. It is also plain that Jesus gives Mary the higher place, because of her attention to “one thing,” while Martha fails of that singleness of attention through her worrying anxiety over “many things.” In other words, Mary represents singleness of endeavor; while Martha represents the distractions of worry—in a divided mind.

Just here is where commentators generally, as representing human nature generally, are inclined to evade the plain teachings of this incident. Popular sympathy with those who worry while they work, as over against those who work without worry, is so wide-spread, that the feeling is well-nigh universal that Martha’s bustling, fussing, worrying way shows more practical efficiency than Mary’s quiet concentrated, absorbed devotedness; and while it is admitted that Jesus, who knew and loved both sisters well, gave Mary the precedence, the opinion seems to prevail that it must have been in a kind of theoretical, unpractical, sentimental sense that Jesus looked at this case as he did. Mary was a very good, weak sister, who could listen and pray, and look sweetly solemn all day long; but when it came to downright practical every-day living, Martha was worth a dozen Marys. That is the way the average reader looks at these two sisters. Good Dr. David Brown of Aberdeen (of Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary), for example, puts the case as many another has put it, before and since: “The one represents the contemplative, the other the active, style of Christian character. A church full of Marys would perhaps be as great an evil as a church full of Marthas. Both are needed, each to be the complement of the other.” Think of that! A church full of those whose traits Jesus commends would be as great an evil, “perhaps”—yes, perhaps; that is, if Jesus was mistaken in his judgment of the needs of his church in its practical mission on earth,—as a church full of those whose traits Jesus disapproves. Jesus says that only one thing—not “many things,” but only “one thing”—is needful; but our commentators say “both are needed,”—both the character that attends faithfully to one thing at a time, and the character that worries over a great many things also. And here is where the commentators differ so squarely with Jesus himself.

It is not that Mary had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour, while Martha had not; for both were his disciples; he loved them both; and the testimony of the one was the testimony of the other to his Messiahship. It is not that Jesus approves a life of inactive contemplation, and that he gives a lower place to zealous activity in his service; for we know that his example and all his teaching were contrary to this idea. But it is that Jesus commends that which all the experience of the human race shows to be a source of power,—singleness of aim, devotedness of purpose, concentration of energy, and an absence of worry over things that are for the moment outside of the realm of one’s personal duty. So far let all the world—especially let all who are of the Church here in this world—be like Mary, and let no woman, nor any child or man, be like Martha; even though Martha was loved and was forgiven, while she was what she was.

One thing is better than many things, especially when the one thing is attended to in the absence of worry over all things else. And the truest practical efficiency is ever in devotion to one thing at a time—without worrying.—S. S. Times.