Useful Work

I have a habit of writing down my chores and checking them off as I do them. This reminds me of the useful things I’ve done each day. I use it as a progress card, to prove that I didn’t just waste my day. If I have a nice, long list with check marks at the end of the day, I feel okay about winding down in front of the TV before I go to sleep. If I only have a few things on my list, I feel super guilty and can’t relax. My usual list may have tasks such as: vacuum, mop floors, clean bathrooms, cook, exercise, plan meals, brush dog, get groceries, laundry, wipe down kitchen counters, wash dishes, check finances, fill bird feeders, do yard work, do homework for online classes, etc. I consider these tasks as work, and thus it makes me feel like a useful person when I get these things done. Yet, I spend a large chunk of my day on things I don’t put on this list—because I don’t think of it as ‘work’ and I am not sure if it is useful.

I get up around 5:30a.m. every morning and spend several hours reading, writing, thinking, learning, and praying. I do this again throughout the day--whenever I can spare any time. I enjoy these activities, so they don’t seem like work—and thus it seems indulgent.

This morning, I woke up with the following thought: Is the time I spend in contemplation, reading, learning, and writing useful? Or are they just indulgent hobbies?

I remembered a similar question came up in the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible:

“Jesus came to a village where a woman named Martha lived. She welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done. She came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Don’t you care? Tell her to help me!’

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered. ‘You are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. And it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38-41NIV)

 The time I spend in contemplation and learning is not useless, even though it might sometimes seem like a wasteful indulgence. Listening to Jesus is essential, necessary, the one thing, worthwhile, permanently dependable, of primary importance…the most purposeful way to spend time.

In comparison, the rest of what I do in a day is of little worth.

(Disclaimer: This post might have been influenced by Joanna Weaver’s book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which I remember reading several years ago.)