Choosing the Better Portion: Rest in a Season of Performance| The Sunday Sabbath #6
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better portion, and it will not be taken away from her.” — Luke 10:41-42 (BSB)
Dear friend,
As I write this, I’m sitting in the quiet of my home after a week that’s felt like a juggling act. Meetings to plan our church’s mom ministry launch in 2026. Conversations with neighbors in my apartment community who might not have family to visit this Thanksgiving. Time with my own children who need their mama fully present. Building Soft Sacred Slow. Preparing to draft my next book.
And underneath it all? A familiar whisper: Are you doing enough? Is your content scheduled ahead? Will people forget about you if you take a break? Should you be doing more to make the holidays special?
Maybe you hear similar whispers.
As we enter the week of Thanksgiving—a season that paradoxically celebrates gratitude while demanding performance—I keep returning to the story of Mary and Martha. Not because it’s an easy story, but because it names the tension so many of us feel, especially as women who create, minister, and serve.
The Burden of the Good Host
Let’s be honest about what Martha was doing: she was serving. She was being hospitable. She was doing good work. In first-century Jewish culture, her actions would have been not just appropriate but expected. A good host ensures guests are fed, comfortable, and cared for.
Sound familiar?
As women—especially those of us who run digital platforms, create content, host gatherings, or lead ministry—we know this tension intimately. We’re the ones who make sure the content is scheduled so our platforms don’t go silent, the home is ready for guests, the meal is prepared, the decorations create the “right” atmosphere, and everyone else’s needs are met.
And for those of us building something online? We layer on additional pressure. We tell ourselves that if we don’t post consistently, we’ll lose momentum. We believe our audience expects us to show up. We see everyone else creating holiday content and think we need to keep up. We convince ourselves that real ministry means constant availability and productivity.
We tell ourselves these are acts of service. And in many ways, they are. But here’s what Jesus gently exposes in Martha’s frantic activity: we can become so consumed with serving that we miss the presence of the One we’re supposedly serving.
The Scandal of Mary’s Choice
Mary’s choice would have been shocking. While her sister worked to serve their distinguished guest, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet—taking the posture of a disciple, a position typically reserved for men in her culture.
She wasn’t being lazy. She wasn’t shirking responsibility. She was making a radical choice about what mattered most in that moment.
And Jesus defended her choice.
Notice what He didn’t say. He didn’t tell Mary to go help Martha. He didn’t praise Martha’s diligent work. He didn’t suggest they needed a “better balance.” Instead, He said Mary had “chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
The Lies We Believe About Rest
As I’ve wrestled with this passage while navigating my own overfull season, I realize how many lies I believe about rest—lies that keep me performing like Martha instead of resting like Mary:
Lie #1: “Rest is something I earn after everything else is done.”
But here’s the truth: if we wait until everything is done to rest, we will never rest. There will always be one more post to write, one more email to answer, one more task to complete. Jesus invites us to rest in the midst of undone work, trusting that He is the one who sustains our ministry, not our constant productivity.
Lie #2: “If I don’t keep creating content, people will forget about me.”
This lie assumes our platforms are built on our own efforts rather than God’s calling and timing. Yes, consistency matters. But so does sustainability. So does showing up whole rather than depleted. What if taking a real Sabbath—even during a “busy season”—actually strengthens our ministry by reminding us and our audience that our worth isn’t found in our output?
Lie #3: “Real ministry means I’m always available, always producing, always serving.”
Even Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). Even Jesus rested. If the Son of God needed Sabbath rhythms, how much more do we? Ministry that flows from depletion isn’t sustainable, and it’s not the model Jesus gave us.
Lie #4: “My family expects me to create the perfect holiday experience.”
This one hits especially hard as we approach Thanksgiving. But perfection was never the goal—presence is. Your family doesn’t need elaborate decorations or a flawless meal. They need you—not a stressed, exhausted version of you, but the you who has spent time at Jesus’ feet, filled up and overflowing.
What If Rest Is Ministry?
Here’s a radical thought for this Thanksgiving week: what if choosing rest—really choosing it, protecting it, defending it—is itself an act of ministry?
What if the most powerful thing you could do for your audience is model what it looks like to step back?
What if your children learn more about God from watching you rest than from watching you perform?
What if your neighbors see something countercultural in a woman who isn’t frantic but at peace?
Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet wasn’t passive—it was active resistance against a culture that said her worth was found in her work. In the same way, our choice to rest in a season that demands our productivity is a declaration: My worth is not determined by my output. My platform is not sustained by my hustle. My ministry flows from my intimacy with Jesus, not from my endless activity.
An Invitation for This Week
As you enter Thanksgiving week—with all its demands, expectations, and pressures—I want to invite you to a different way.
What if this week, instead of adding one more thing to your to-do list, you subtracted? What if you released yourself from the pressure to post daily on social media, said no to one obligation that drains rather than fills you, and carved out actual Sabbath time—even if it’s just a few hours—to sit at Jesus’ feet? What if you let the decorations be simpler, the meal be easier, the schedule be lighter, and gave yourself permission to be present instead of perfect?
This isn’t about being irresponsible or lazy. It’s about recognizing that only one thing is needed. And that one thing isn’t found in our frantic activity but in our deliberate stillness before Jesus.
Reflection Questions
1. Where am I performing (in my home, online, in ministry) because I believe my worth is tied to my productivity?
Take an honest inventory. Which activities are flowing from rest and intimacy with Jesus, and which are flowing from fear, obligation, or the need to prove something?
2. What would it look like to choose “the better portion” this week—even if it means disappointing others or leaving something undone?
Be specific. Maybe it means not posting on social media for a few days. Maybe it means buying the pie instead of making it from scratch. Maybe it means saying no to an event. What does Mary’s choice look like in your actual life right now?
3. What lies about rest do I need to confess and release to Jesus?
Write them down. Name them. Then speak truth over each one, remembering that Jesus defended Mary’s choice to rest in His presence—and He defends yours too.
A Prayer for Thanksgiving Week
Jesus,
You know the weight I’m carrying right now—the pressure to perform, to produce, to make everything special. You see the lists in my head and the anxiety in my heart.
Forgive me for believing that my worth is found in my work rather than in You. Forgive me for building platforms on my own strength instead of trusting Your timing and provision. Forgive me for being so busy serving You that I forget to simply sit with You.
This week, help me choose what Mary chose. Help me release what needs to be released. Help me say no to good things so I can say yes to the best thing—time at Your feet.
Give me the courage to rest even when everything isn’t done. Give me the wisdom to know what truly matters. Give me the grace to show up for others from a place of overflow instead of depletion.
Thank You that rest isn’t something I earn—it’s something You invite me into. Thank You that my ministry doesn’t depend on my hustle but on Your calling. Thank You that I can trust You with my platform, my family, and my work while I simply sit and receive from You.
Let this be a week where I choose the better portion. And let that choice not be taken from me.
Amen.
The Story Sanctuary
Welcome to The Story Sanctuary! This is where I share all things books - my latest releases, stories I’m loving, and recommendations from fellow authors whose work inspires me. Think of this as our cozy corner where stories and Sabbath rest intersect, and reading is always an act of soul care.
This week, I’m thrilled to share my holiday novella, Blue Stone Christmas - the perfect cozy read for your Sabbath rest during this beautiful season!
When NYC marketing executive Gabrielle flies down to evaluate a small Blue Ridge Mountain town for tourism development, she discovers her ex-boyfriend Jonas now leads the local missions center. Snowed in together during the Christmas season, they must navigate old hurts and new possibilities while rediscovering what really matters.
If you love second-chance romance with faith-filled storylines and charming small-town Christmas magic, this one’s for you. It’s clean, heartwarming, and perfect for curling up with hot cocoa during these cozy winter evenings.
Want a signed copy? Grab one here from my shop - it makes a wonderful gift or a special treat for yourself this holiday season.
Kindle Unlimited subscriber? Read it free on Amazon!
And don’t forget - you can also request the ebook or paperback at your local library to help them stock stories that honor faith and family.
However you choose to read it, I hope Gabrielle and Jonas’s story brings you warmth and joy this Christmas season!
May you find space to sit at Jesus’ feet this week, dear friend. May you remember that your worth isn’t found in your work, your platform isn’t built on your perfection, and your ministry flows from your intimacy with Him—not from your endless activity.
You are loved. You are seen. And you have permission to rest.
With grace and gratitude,
Antonisha
P.S. — If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear what you’re choosing to release this week to make space for rest. Reply to this email or leave a comment—sometimes naming it out loud gives us the courage we need to actually do it.
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