When God Redirects Your Effort

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Have you ever felt like you had your whole life mapped out?

You knew exactly how it was supposed to go. Step A leads to Step B, then Step C. If you work hard enough, stay disciplined enough, and push long enough, the results will come.

At least… that’s what we tell ourselves.

Let me be clear, hard work is a good thing. The Bible praises diligence and perseverance. There’s nothing wrong with giving your best effort, but sometimes life refuses to follow the plan we wrote.

For years, I had a plan. I pushed myself hard, sometimes harder than I probably should have. Long hours, constant focus, always thinking about the next step in my career and the goals I wanted to reach. In my mind, success was just a matter of effort. If I worked hard enough, everything would line up the way it was supposed to.

But God.

Isn’t it interesting how often our stories turn on those two words?

Over time, I began to feel something shifting in my heart. It wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was more like a quiet pull, God drawing me closer to Him in a way I hadn’t experienced before. Or at least I hadn't listened to before, and a simple question crossed my mind that I couldn’t shake.

What if I gave the same energy to my relationship with God that I give to my career?

What if the same discipline, the same determination, the same focus… was directed toward knowing Him?

No, don’t worry, I didn’t quit my job, and I don’t plan to anytime soon. Work is part of life, and God absolutely uses us in our careers and responsibilities. But if I’m honest, for a long time my job had become the center of my effort. My time, my thoughts, my drive, it was all aimed at moving forward, achieving more, and succeeding.

Then one realization hit me pretty hard. One day, that job will be gone.

Either this world will pass away, or I will pass away from it. Everything I worked so hard to build here on this earth, is temporary, but my relationship with God is not.

Jesus said it clearly:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Matthew 6:19–20

When that finally sank in, I had to laugh at myself a little. I used to think I was a pretty smart person, but sometimes I realize I'm just an overeducated idiot. I had spent so much energy investing in things that would eventually fade… while giving far less attention to the one relationship that lasts forever. That realization changed something in me.

I didn’t become perfect overnight and never will, but I started making a simple shift. I began putting more effort into my relationship with God than into the things of this world, and something beautiful started happening. Scripture began speaking to me in ways it hadn’t before. Prayer didn’t feel like something to check off a list; it became a place of peace. I started noticing God at work in everyday moments that I used to overlook.

The closer I leaned toward Him, the more I realized something humbling:

God had been inviting me deeper all along.

It reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10.

Jesus had come to their home in Bethany. I can picture it in my head. Guests had arrived, and not just any guest, but Jesus Himself. The house was likely full of people, conversation filling the rooms, the pressure of hospitality resting heavily on Martha’s shoulders. You ladies already feel the pressure building just from hearing the story. Martha did what many of us would do. She got to work. Fixing food, cleaning the house, waiting on everyone. "Southern hospitality at its finest." She was moving from task to task, carrying the weight of making sure everything was just right. In many ways, she was doing something honorable, serving the Lord and the people around Him.

But in the middle of all that activity, Martha noticed something that bothered her. Her sister Mary wasn’t helping. Instead of rushing around the house, Mary had chosen to sit on the floor at Jesus’ feet, listening as He taught. While Martha hurried between hostess responsibilities, Mary was still, fully present, soaking in every word.

The frustration started building. You can almost hear the exhaustion in Martha’s voice when she finally spoke up:

“Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40)

It’s such a human moment. Martha wasn’t being lazy. She wasn’t doing something wrong. She was trying to take care of everything, like all of us women do. She simply felt overwhelmed and alone in the effort.

But Jesus responded with a gentle correction:

“Martha, Martha,” He said, “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 10:41–42

Notice something important in that moment. Jesus didn’t rebuke Martha for serving. Serving others is a beautiful thing, but Martha had become so consumed with doing things for Jesus that she was missing the opportunity to simply be with Him.

Mary understood something that Martha, in that moment, had forgotten.

Sometimes the most important place we can be is simply at the feet of Jesus.

Listening. Learning. Being close to Him.

It’s easy for us to become a lot like Martha. Life fills up quickly with responsibilities, goals, work, and obligations. None of those things are bad, but if we’re not careful, they can crowd out the very relationship that gives our lives meaning.

Mary chose what Jesus called “the better part.”

Not because work didn’t matter, but because time with Him mattered more.

And that’s the question this story quietly asks all of us:

Where are we spending most of our effort? Many of us spend years pouring our energy into building careers, achieving goals, and securing our future. We run from one responsibility to the next, telling ourselves we’ll slow down later, when things settle down, when the schedule clears up, when we finally reach the place we’re trying to get to.

But the truth is, life rarely slows down on its own.

There will always be another task. Another goal. Another step in the plan.

And sometimes God gently reminds us that while all those things may be important, they are not the most important thing.

The most important thing is Him.

Sometimes God allows our plans to stall or shift, not to punish us, but to redirect our attention. To remind us that success, achievement, and recognition were never meant to be the center of our lives.

He created us first and foremost for a relationship with Him.

Careers will end. Achievements will fade. The things we spend years building in this world will eventually pass away.

But every moment spent with God is an investment that lasts forever.

When we begin seeking Him first, truly first, something changes inside us. Our priorities shift. Our worries loosen their grip. We start seeing life through a different lens.

We begin to realize that the greatest success we could ever have is simply walking closely with the One who created us. Maybe today God is extending the same invitation He gave Martha and Mary all those years ago.

An invitation to pause. To step away from the constant striving. To sit at His feet for a while.

Because when we put God first, we don’t lose anything that truly matters.

In fact, we finally gain what we were searching for all along.

Work isn’t wrong. Responsibility isn’t wrong, But when our striving begins to crowd out the presence of God in our lives, we miss the very thing our hearts were made for.

Sometimes God lets us run to the end of our plans, just so we can discover His.

Maybe today God is gently inviting you to shift your focus, not by abandoning your responsibilities, but by reordering your priorities. Careers end. Achievements fade. Plans change. But a life rooted in God will last forever.

Prayer

Lord, forgive me for the times I have chased success more than I have chased You. Help me seek Your kingdom first. Teach me to invest my time, my energy, and my heart into what truly matters. Draw me closer to You, and open my eyes to see the ways You are working in my life. Amen.