From the time we’re young, we learn the unspoken rules — what to do to fit in, what not to do if we want to belong. Performance becomes a survival skill, especially when pressure and anxiety start to shape how we measure our worth. And even as adults, that pressure follows us into our relationships, our work, and the way we talk to ourselves.
For many people, faith has felt like more of the same, another place where expectations stack up. It’s easy to assume Jesus is just another voice saying, “Do this, don’t do that.” But when you look closely at the stories told about him, the picture is more surprising.
When Jesus visits the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha, Martha is overwhelmed by everything she thinks she has to manage, while her sister sits near Jesus doing no work at all. Martha isn’t doing the wrong thing — she’s simply distracted, trying to earn approval instead of receiving it. And in that distraction, she nearly misses the connection her work was meant to create. When frustration finally spills out, Jesus doesn’t scold Martha or praise Mary. He speaks gently:
“Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential.” (Luke 10:41-42)
Instead of more rules, he offers relief.
That moment reflects something else Jesus said when asked what mattered most. Out of all the commands and expectations, he named just two as the most important of all:
Love God. Love people.
Everything else, he said, grows from there.
It’s simple … and somehow incredibly hard in a world built on pressure and fear of falling short.
Think about it …
If love, not performance, really is the center of what Jesus teaches, how did it become so difficult to live that way?
Let’s take 30 seconds.
Think of a place where you feel pressure to prove yourself.
Now imagine Jesus stepping into that moment and starting with love instead.
What might soften if love, not effort, set the tone?
