You are worried and distracted by too many things. It seems to be a common condition these days, and it’s unhealthy. To worry about something is to be emotionally concerned about the outcome of an event, and what, if anything, one can do to see that it comes out right. Worry often involves thoughts about how many ways things can go wrong, and the likelihood that they will.
To be distracted is to start off intending to do one thing and finding one’s self doing all kinds of other things instead. We make jokes about dogs and squirrels, but they’re really about you and me.
In Luke’s Gospel Jesus said to Martha, “You are worried and distracted by too many things.” The emphasis was on “too many.” Some things are worth worrying about, but there is such a thing as being worried by too many things. The emotional state of constant worry can become the core of one’s daily life, obliterating any chance of enjoying life’s many blessings, opportunities, and delights. It’s especially corrosive when one takes on the emotional responsibility for everyone else’s comfort and happiness. It’s a path to never ending guilt and frustration. We are also prone to silly worries, but there they are anyway. One of our daughters travels the world on business, often to third world countries. I never worry about her then, but when she and her husband visit our home and go out for an evening, I worry about when they’ll get home, if they’re safe, and listen for the front door to open. I guess it’s a holdover from her teenage years.
In like manner, being distracted is not a bad thing by itself. Life offers so many fascinating opportunities to explore the varieties of creation and experiences that enrich one’s being. But to be so focused on a task or subject excluding all else can make one unable to experience the abundance of life lying all around. Consider the genius of Leonardo DaVinci: his willingness to be distracted enabled him to explore everything he could about art, anatomy, architecture, hydraulics, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, medicine, and more. Few of us are DaVincis, but life offers too much for us not to enjoy being distracted, just not by too much. As my dad said more often than I liked, “A job worth doing is worth doing well,” and “If you start a job, finish it.” There were times in my boyhood when I was the epitome of the dog and squirrel.
So, are you worried and distracted by too many things? What is too many? There isn’t a right answer. In the story about Martha and Mary, Mary was distracted by Jesus’ arrival along with twelve disciples, and chose to listen to him rather than help in the kitchen. She chose to be distracted in the right way that day, but on another day it would have been the wrong choice. There are no rules that say this is the right day and the right reason to be distracted. The best we can do is have a clear sense of direction and purpose keeping us on track to meet the day’s needs, yet allowing room for distractions that help keep the day interesting. None of us will get the balance just right every day but we can achieve a good average over time, and should.
When too many worries and too many distractions come together at the same time, it leads to emotional chaos with one of two outcomes. First, such overwhelming indecision that one is paralyzed, finding it difficult to accomplish anything at all. Second, emotional outrage at the injustice of everything as one flails about trying to organize and manage everything for everyone at once, and getting nowhere.
An emotionally healthy person is always going to be worried about some things and distracted by others, but neither will dominate her/his life. Being worried and distracted by too many things is what leads to trouble, so pay attention to good advice from Jesus.
Which brings us back to Luke 10: 38-42. Martha complained because her sister Mary was visiting with Jesus, leaving Martha to prepare a meal by herself for some sixteen people. Jesus answered her complaint by saying she was worried and distracted by too many things, Mary had chosen the right thing to do. Setting aside the obvious, that if Jesus and his disciples were going to eat, someone had to prepare and serve it, when Jesus comes to call, stop doing what you’re doing and pay attention. Today the words of Jesus are spoken through the mouths of others more often than one might think. For those who desire to follow him, it is not a rare occurrence, but it is something that can, and is, too easily ignored by the worries and distractions of life. Amidst all the competing voices, how can we tell which is from Jesus? His words will always be words of love, reconciliation and healing. They will sometimes be words of warning, or calling for amendment of life. If the words you hear cannot be defined by loving God, loving self, loving neighbors, and loving others as Jesus loves us, they are not from Jesus. When that happens, go ahead, be distracted by something better and get on with the richness of life.