February 19th, 2026

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.””  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭38‬-‭42‬

Martha is overwhelmed. She approaches Jesus frustrated: “Lord, do You not care…?”

Her tone carries stress and perhaps irritation. Jesus responds without belittling her. He names her gently: “Martha, Martha…” There is correction, but it is tender.

Listening is one of the clearest expressions of respect. Many breakdowns in male-female communication happen not because of disagreement, but because one person feels unheard.

“Why are we such poor listeners?  Today one of the major reasons is that we are so busy.  Our busyness substitutes frenzy for conversation and wrecks our relationships.  It fills our calendars and empties our lives of the ability to listen to anything that turns us away from our little gods.” R. Kent Hughes; James: Faith That Works (Preaching the Word) 

To listen well is to say:

• You matter.
  
• Your perspective matters.
  
• Your emotions are not inconvenient.
  

Jesus hears Martha before redirecting her.

Good communicators seek understanding before they get defensive.

Something to ponder today:  Do the men or women in my life feel genuinely heard by me, or merely managed?