The Ivy Lee Method
One day in 1918, Charles Schwab, a
powerful steel magnate, wanted to help his executives be more productive. So,
he called in a consultant named Ivy Lee and asked, “Show me how to get more
things done.”
Lee didn’t give a long lecture or a
complicated formula. Instead, he offered a simple yet powerful method:
1. At
the end of each day, write down six important tasks for tomorrow—no more.
2. Prioritize
them in order of importance.
3. The
next day, start with the first task and don’t move on until it’s finished.
4. Continue
down the list, one task at a time.
5. At
the end of the day, move unfinished tasks to tomorrow’s list. Repeat.
Schwab tried it. After three
months, he was so impressed that he wrote Lee a check for $25,000—a massive sum
at the time.
Why was this method so valuable?
Because it forced people to focus on what
truly matters.
Martha
This principle reminds us of the
well-known story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Church tradition often paints Martha
as a symbol of the active life – busy with work and service, while Mary
represents the contemplative life, focused on prayer and devotion. Even today,
Martha is unfairly put down, and Mary is exalted as the ideal disciple. But in reality,
both are women of excellence and noble character. Jesus loved both Martha and
Mary. Both of them were devoted followers of Jesus. In fact, when their brother
Lazarus died, it was Martha made one of the most profound confessions of faith
in the entire Bible: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son,
the one who is coming into the world” (John 11:27). This story is not
about salvation. It’s not about who is right or wrong, who is better or
worse. Instead, this story is about priorities. And in many ways, Martha
represents so many of us – people who love Jesus but get caught up in the
urgent rather than the essential. Martha is you.
Martha is me.
Drifting Away
Martha had a beautiful gift of
hospitality. When she heard that Jesus was coming to town, she welcomed him and
his disciples with open arms. But then, Luke tells us that Martha was
“distracted” by her many tasks (v. 40a, NRSV). The Greek word for “distracted” means
to be pulled away or to be dragged in different directions. It’s not that
Martha didn’t want to hear Jesus – of course, she did! But she kept being
pulled away by all the tasks that needed to be done. Her sense of duty became
greater than her desire. She convinced herself that true devotion meant doing
things for Jesus rather than being with Jesus.
Tim Keller wisely observed, “Idolatry
means turning a good thing into an ultimate thing.” That’s what happened to
Martha. Her good work became her ultimate focus, pulling her away from what
mattered most. The same thing happens to us. We become distracted by too many
good things—work, responsibilities, commitments, even ministry. But Jesus calls
us to choose what is best. The question is: Are we prioritizing the
urgent or the essential?
A Smoldering Heart
Martha made her choice, and the
consequences followed. Because she was overwhelmed with duties, her heart
became resentful. She started to smolder with frustration.
When we drift way from Jesus, it’s
only a matter of time before frustration turns into blame. Martha first
blamed Mary for being so selfish. Then, she turned her frustration toward Jesus.
So she went up to Jesus and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has
left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me” (v. 40b). Not
only was she upset with her sister, but she was also accusing Jesus—the very
one she was serving—of being unfair. This is what happens when our priorities
get out of order. When we are distracted, we become discouraged. When we are
discouraged, we become bitter. And bitterness often leads us to question even
the goodness of God.
The Antidote
So, what is the antidote for a distracted, smoldering heart? Jesus
gives the answer himself: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by
many things; there is need of only one
thing.” (vv. 41-42). We are busy today. We will be busy tomorrow. There
will be always responsibilities. But among the thousand duties we must do,
there is one thing that must come first: sitting at the feet of Jesus. J.
C. Ryle put it well, “Mary’s choice was good in sickness and good in health,—
good in youth and good in age,— good in adversity and good in prosperity,— good
in life and good in death— good in time and good in eternity.”[1]
Our culture constantly demands our
attention. News, social media, emails, phone notifications—everything is urgent.
We have become a multitasking generation, but no matter how much we do, we
never feel caught up. Lent is a season to slow down and intentionally choose
the essential over the urgent—to choose Jesus first before anything else.
Billy Graham once shared a story
about his father-in-law, Dr. Nelson Bell. When Bell served as the only doctor
for a 400-bed hospital in China, he made it a point to wake up every morning at
4:30 am and spend two to three hours alone with God. He didn’t use that time to
read commentaries or write; he didn’t do any of his other work. He simply read
the Scriptures and prayed every morning. Many wondered at his holiness and
wisdom. But his strength came from his “one thing”—sitting at the feet of Jesus
first.
A Time for Everything
There is a time for everything. A
time to work and a time to listen. A time to serve and a time to sit at Jesus’
feet. Martha’s mistake was not her service but her timing. She did not
realize that, at the moment, Jesus needed her presence more than her service. Jesus
was on his way to Jerusalem to suffer and die, yet she was too distracted to
see it.
Mary, however, understood. She
listened, she watched, and she learned. Then she sensed his time was coming. Later,
when Jesus was at another dinner, Mary took a jar of costly perfume—worth a
year’s wages—and anointed Jesus, pouring it over his head and feet. The
disciples were confused, but Jesus said, “She has anointed my body
beforehand for burial” (Mark 14:8). Mary’s love led her to the right action
at the right time.
Living as a Harpooner
Eugene Peterson once compared
Christians to harpooners. In Herman Melville's Moby Dick, there is
a turbulent scene. All the sailors in a whaleboat are laboring fiercely, every
muscle taut, all attention and energy concentrated on the task, in pursuit of
the great, white whale, Moby Dick. In this boat, however, there is one person
who does nothing. He doesn't hold an oar; he doesn't perspire; he doesn't
shout. This man is the harpooner, quiet and poised, waiting. And
then this sentence:
"To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the
harpooners of this world must start to their feet out of idleness, and not out
of toil.”[2]
We, too, are called to be
harpooners. We live in a fast-paced, chaotic world, but if we are constantly
distracted and exhausted, we won’t be ready when it’s time to act. There is a
time to wait and a time to move. A time to listen and a time to serve. A time
to sit at Jesus’ feet and a time to go into the world. Life is short. May we
choose the “one thing” today – hear the word first, then do the
word. And repeat. Amen.
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