The rival within

If you ask my sister-in-law, there are basically two kinds of people in the world: those who do all the work and those who enjoy all the work when it's done. She, of course, is the leader of that first half of humanity. I love my sister-in-law and teasingly call her “Martha” sometimes. After her namesake from the Bible. Here's how the story goes…

Jesus and his disciples visit the home of two sisters: Martha and Mary. Martha, as expected, is busy doing good things—serving, preparing, trying to be responsible. But it eats at her that her sister Mary just sits there and listens to Jesus. Doing nothing! “Lord, don’t you care?” she asks. She feels that Mary should be just as busy as she is.

Maybe deep down, Martha’s frustration isn’t with Mary perse—it’s with herself, and the pressure she feels to prove her value by doing all that stuff. Simon Peter knows that same pressure. In The Chosen, we see his inner tug-of-war: work versus presence, performance versus trust. Being number one versus being last.

Simon Peter often seems to battle two versions of himself: the strong fixer who acts fast, and the disciple Jesus is shaping into a humble leader. Like Martha, he’s his own biggest rival. One side needs to prove worth through effort; the other longs to simply be with Jesus. This internal conflict—of doing versus being—echoes the tension in Martha’s heart. And maybe yours, too.

Martha wants her striving to be seen, even rewarded. But Jesus points her to something deeper: “Mary has chosen what is better.” Not because Martha’s work is wrong—but because presence must come before performance. Simon Peter learns this lesson slowly and painfully. In the letter he wrote himself, he proves so.

What about you? Are you caught in your own inner rivalry—between who you think you need to be and the peace Jesus offers? Do you feel pressure to keep doing, proving, performing? Today, let the better choice be stillness. Lay down the burden of self-made worth and sit at the feet of the One who calls you beloved.