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If your schedule is full but your soul is starving, this might be the most important invitation you’ll hear all week.
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Golden hour stillness—choosing devotion over distraction while the world speeds by.Busyness has become the modern badge of honor.
We race through the day, shuffle between screens, chase one obligation after another—and somewhere in that blur, we forget how to be human. Or holy. Or whole.
I know the cycle. As a priest and writer, I’ve served others while running on fumes myself—doing for God without being with Him. If that hits close, this message is for you.
In Luke 10:38–42, Jesus enters the home of Martha and Mary. One is caught up in serving. The other, in listening. What He says to them could recalibrate the way we live, lead, and follow.
Let’s walk through three life-shifting moves rooted in that moment—practical ways to recover what Jesus calls “the better portion.”
Trade Distraction for Devotion
Multitasking has become a substitute for meaning.
In Luke 10:40, Martha is “distracted with much serving.” She’s not doing anything sinful—she’s working hard to serve Jesus. But her mind is scattered. Her heart is anxious. She wants help, and when Mary doesn’t assist, Martha vents her frustration directly to Christ.
Jesus answers with compassion, not condemnation:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion…” (Luke 10:41–42, ESV)
Mary chose presence. Not perfection. Not performance. She sat at the feet of Jesus when it wasn’t the most productive thing—but it was the most faithful.
✅ ACTION STEP: Block 15 minutes daily. No phone. No tasks. Just stillness, prayer, or reading.
🚫 Don’t do this: Don’t treat silence like another task to complete. Let it form you.
📚 Book that helps:
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Raw, relevant, and painfully true for modern life.
Relearn the Art of Listening
He’s not lost. He’s listening. What might you hear if you stopped to be still?The loudest voice in your life should be the one who knows you best.
Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching” (Luke 10:39, ESV). In that culture, sitting at a rabbi’s feet was a sign of discipleship—this was bold, intentional, and costly.
Psalm 15 echoes this posture. It describes a person of integrity who honors the truth, even when it costs them something (Psalm 15:1–2, ESV). But you can’t live like that without listening. Deeply. Regularly. Quietly.
✅ ACTION STEP: Choose one Gospel. Read one chapter daily. Don’t rush. Ask, What is God inviting me to believe or do differently today?
🚫 Common trap: Don’t scan Scripture like headlines. Listening to Jesus means slowing down to stay with Him.
📚 Book to grow here:
Hearing God by Dallas Willard
A spiritually rich guide to recognizing God’s voice amid daily life.
Believe That Nothing Is Impossible
You don’t need more certainty—you need more surrender.
In Genesis 18, Abraham is visited by three mysterious strangers (angels—or God Himself). They announce that his elderly wife Sarah will bear a son. She laughs in disbelief.
But the Lord answers:
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14, ESV)
We laugh too. Quietly. When prayers go unanswered. When doors don’t open. When hope feels foolish. And yet, Paul tells the Colossians:
“…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27, ESV)
This isn’t empty optimism. This is a God who births the impossible through ordinary people who still dare to trust Him.
✅ ACTION STEP: Choose one area where you’ve quit hoping. Pray over it—consistently—for the next 7 days.
🚫 Don’t do this: Don’t interpret delay as denial. God is never late. He’s just not in a rush.
📚 Book to rebuild your faith:
You Were Made for This Moment by Max Lucado
Comforting, direct, and grounded in Scripture—especially when you’re wrestling with timing.
Conclusion: The Quiet Win
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs happen in silence.“Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure…”
That’s the prayer in the Collect for this Sunday. But here’s the paradox:
We only run well when we learn to sit first.
Mary chose the better portion—and it wasn’t taken from her. You can choose it too. You don’t need more bandwidth. You need more surrender. And that starts with stillness.
So the next time the world whispers “Do more,” respond with:
No, I’m going to sit.
I’m going to listen.
I’m going to trust.
Because the better portion is always right there. And no one can take it from you.
Did this resonate with you?
Follow @nilegomez on YouTube for weekly reflections, stillness practices, and real-world encouragement to help you stay grounded when everything else is speeding up.
Let’s stop letting urgency steal what matters most.
Sit. Listen. Choose the better portion.
