WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER: What Jesus Teaches Us About Mental Health and Busyness
If you’ve felt stretched thin lately, you’re not alone. Most of us aren’t walking around tired because we don’t love God. We’re tired because we’re juggling work, family, emotions, expectations, and the invisible pressure to hold everything together. Even when we’re doing all the “right” things, it’s easy to feel like we’re running on empty.
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I still remember learning how to read the Bible for myself. I was about fourteen. My brother took me to Starbucks, bought me a white chocolate mocha, and sat down with me to walk through Scripture. I don’t remember what passage we read that day, but I remember knowing it mattered. Since then I’ve been obsessed with this book. Not because it’s a religious box to check, but because God actually speaks through it.
MARY, MARTHA, AND THE TENSION WE ALL FEEL
Luke 10:38–42 tells us about two sisters—Martha and Mary. Jesus comes to their home. Martha opens the door, starts serving, cooking, preparing, making everything just right. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and listens.
Martha is doing what most of us would do. She’s the responsible one. She’s got main-character energy. She wants the house clean, the food ready, the moment special. But verse 40 says, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Eventually her frustration boils over: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
He responds, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Mary is doing what looks wrong to her sister, but Jesus defends her. She chose what is better.
What if you’re working hard for God… but missing God?
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK HARDER FOR JESUS—YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN WITH HIM
I’m a sucker for marketing. I got sucked into purchasing Liquid Death, and one time while driving in the car with Beckham, I cracked it open to his horrified face. Now if you’ve seen it, you know it looks exactly like a tall can of beer. Beckham freaked out: “Dad! You can’t drink and drive!” He was convinced I was doing something wrong when I was actually doing something totally fine.
That’s what following Jesus can feel like sometimes. You’re doing the right thing—going to church, giving, praying with your kids, changing your patterns—and people around you think you’re doing the wrong thing. They don’t get why you’re rearranging your life for God.
Mary is in that same place. She’s sitting with Jesus while her sister is convinced she’s wrong. But Jesus says she “has chosen what is better.” She isn’t lazy; she’s present. She slowed down when it mattered most.
Here’s the big idea I wanted our church to sit with:
You don’t have to work harder for Jesus. You have to slow down and be with Jesus.
I can’t cure your anxiety or your depression. I can’t fix your workaholic tendencies. I can’t make you a “better person.” But I can tell you a Jesus story about two people—one He corrected, one He applauded—and ask you to honestly decide: Who am I in this story?
WE’RE BUSY DOING GOOD THINGS, BUT IT’S COSTING US THE BEST THING
Most of us feel tired, stretched, and stuck—not because we don’t love God, but because we’re trying to keep everything together. We’re juggling:
work
family
bills
expectations
and on top of that, our faith
Deep down, it feels like we’re running on fumes.
Luke 10:40 says, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” She’s doing good work—serving, cleaning, prepping. The house smells like bleach and crockpot. She’s thinking, If I don’t do it, who will? But in the middle of doing good things, she’s missing the best thing: Jesus is in her living room, and she’s too busy to enjoy Him.
That sounds like dinner every night, doesn’t it? The house, the chores, the kids, the calendar. None of those are bad. They’re good. But good things can quietly push out the best thing if we’re not careful.
Today, “busy” has become a badge of honor. People brag about it: “I’m just so busy.” In our world, busy often means overloaded, distracted, scattered, exhausted, running without rest, with no margin mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
The Bible uses a word for this: distracted—a Greek word that means “to be pulled apart, dragged in every direction, mentally scattered, emotionally fragmented.” That’s not just a schedule problem. That’s a soul problem.
Martha wasn’t working too hard. She was working hard at the wrong thing first.
WHAT YOUR SOUL NEEDS MOST ISN’T ANOTHER TASK—IT’S A MOMENT TO BREATHE
I love to run, listen to worship music or a podcast, and spend time with God. One time, I had worship music going, ready for this spiritual, refreshing moment. But then my AirPods started reading texts out loud—work things, group chats, needs, questions—and before I knew it, my anxiety was spiking. I was half a mile in and already emotionally exhausted.
So I stopped, took my AirPods out, and just ran in silence. No music, no texts, no notifications—just my breath, my footsteps, and the Lord. Suddenly I could hear God again. Not because He finally started talking, but because I finally stopped long enough to listen.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Matthew 11:28–29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Still. Rest. Pause. Those aren’t “extra credit” spiritual practices. They are essential for a healthy soul.
I love Corrie ten Boom’s line:
“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”
Busy people make tired decisions. Tired decisions lead us back to old patterns we swore we’d never repeat.
The world says:
Busy = identity
Busy = worth
Busy = success
Jesus says:
Busy = distraction
Busy = noise
Busy = misordered priorities
So the real question is not, “Am I doing enough?”
It’s, “Am I so busy that I’m missing Jesus?”
MARY’S POSTURE: NOT LAZY, BUT FULLY PRESENT
Luke 10:39 says, “She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”
Sitting at someone’s feet in that culture wasn’t cute or casual. It meant, “I’m your student. I want to learn your ways. Your voice is my guide.” Mary is taking the posture of a disciple. She’s not spacing out; she’s fully engaged.
The word for “listening” in this passage is where we get “acoustics.” It means to hear with attention, understanding, and the intention to obey. That’s very different from just being in the room.
Most Christians have heard a lot of sermons.
Far fewer have listened to what Jesus was actually saying to them.
Listening to Jesus is never passive. It’s active. It’s showing up with an open Bible, an open heart, and an open mind saying, “What You say shapes my life.”
That’s why slowing down matters so much. It’s why being in church matters. It’s why we fight for quiet, for Scripture, for undistracted moments in God’s presence. Not to check a box, but so God actually has our attention long enough to transform us.
Dallas Willard said,
“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
That doesn’t mean you sit cross-legged in your closet for three hours. It might simply mean turning off the podcast in your car and talking to God instead.
PEACE DOESN’T COME FROM GETTING MORE DONE—IT COMES FROM STAYING CLOSE
Jesus says, “Mary has chosen what is better.” Out of the 35,000 decisions we make in a day, she got this one right. She chose to sit with Jesus.
John 15:4–5 says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you… apart from me you can do nothing.” Peace doesn’t come from finally finishing everything on your list. It comes from staying close to the One who holds your life together.
For those of you who’ve had babies, remember when your newborn got upset? Like REALLY upset? That red-faced, sweaty, screaming fit that they can’t catch a breath from? You pick them up, pull them close to your chest, and slowly they let out that deep, shaky breath. Their body relaxes. Nothing in their circumstances changed. But their proximity did.
That’s the rest many of us are craving. Not a perfect schedule. Not a week with no problems. Just being held by our Father.
TAKE HOME: HOW TO BUILD A MOMENT WITH JESUS
I don’t want this to just be theory. Here’s a simple way to start creating space with Jesus this week:
Find ONE moment.
Not five hours at 5 a.m. Just one intentional moment in your day.
Read ONE thing.
A single verse or short passage. Let it sit in you instead of rushing past it.
Ask ONE question.
“God, what do You want me to know today?”
Say ONE thing.
“Thank You.” You’d be surprised what consistent gratitude does to your heart.
You don’t need to work harder for Jesus. You need to be with Jesus. The goal isn’t to get more done—it’s to stay close.
Reflection Questions
Who do you relate to more in this season—Mary or Martha?
Where has busyness started to pull your heart away from Jesus?
What helps you slow down enough to actually hear God’s voice?
What is one simple, practical way you can build a daily “one moment with Jesus” rhythm this week?
Further Resources
Book: The Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry — John Mark Comer
Book: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality — Pete Scazzero
Article: “3 Dangers of Busyness” - Crossway.org
