Busyness has become a badge for many of us. When our schedules are packed, we tell others we’re busy and our hearts ring with delight.

Why is this? Why do we get joy and pleasure from packing our schedules with busy work? And why do we pursue this, but then later collapse on the couch from exhaustion? Surely the end result of our busyness is not worth the pursuit. In many ways, busyness is a distraction from what matters most. Yet we love it for the momentary rush of pleasure and significance it gives us.

It’s time we reorient ourselves back to what God wants for us, so we can fill our lives with what matters most instead of things that just keep us busy for no reason. By the end of this Bible Plan, my hope is you’ll have a critical eye on your busyness, and be more intentional with how you fill your schedule.

To start, I want you to ask yourself: what’s needed? In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus meets Mary and Martha. While the Bible says Martha is “distracted” with serving, it positions Mary as doing what is right. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to him. It’s interesting that Martha is described as being “distracted” here. In any circumstance today, people would describe Mary as being distracted. She was the one who wasn’t helping. Yet in God’s Kingdom, Mary was doing exactly what she should’ve been doing.

When Martha confronts Jesus and Mary about this, Jesus says “few things are needed.” We often busy ourselves with what we think we need. But Jesus is clear: only one thing is needed. And the Bible promises that as we pursue this one thing, everything else will fall into place. In our busyness, we must pause and ask, is this needed? Or are we distracted by what we think is needed?

Humbling ourselves with this question can bring us back to what’s most important: seeking His Kingdom first.