One thing is needful

Often when I’m fretting over a problem, whether a personal issue or a world crisis, I am reminded of the Bible’s Mary and Martha when they hosted Jesus in their home (see Luke 10:38–42). The behavior of each of the sisters toward their guest differed dramatically. Martha was “cumbered about much serving”—felt burdened about preparing the meal. Mary, on the other hand, simply sat at Jesus’ feet listening to his teaching. When Martha came to Jesus complaining about her sister’s failure to help, Jesus gently corrected her. He swept aside social codes with his statement “One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Here Jesus instructs us to follow a higher law—to sit at the feet of Christ—that is, focus on nourishing our understanding of God, Spirit, through Christ, the true idea of God, which is present at every moment, revealing our perfect selves already at the apex of harmony. To do this, we must be willing to turn away from the troubles that weigh on us and turn to God. Our thought, and ultimately our experience, are determined by this important choice. 

Perhaps it seems that focusing only on good would be ignoring evil; it’s important not to be selfish or clueless when it comes to acknowledging the troubles of humanity. But we need to equip ourselves with healing prayer to handle the claims of evil. This work consists of diligently lifting our thought above the tumultuous picture of human struggle to the view that Jesus had of everyone as made in God’s very likeness, incapable of expressing anything but love, peace, and intelligence. When we do this, our thoughts and lives will be increasingly filled with spiritual light. This concept can be seen in this statement from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22, 23).