Make Room- Week 3

Recap:
It’s difficult to say ‘no.’ Saying ‘yes’ feels so much better! But every ‘yes’ comes with a cost, which means we need to think through whether we are agreeing to the best things in life.  Our ‘yeses’ have the potential of getting in the way—if we’re not careful, they can start to squeeze out the things that are most important.

Let’s talk about the art of saying ‘no’ so that we can say ‘yes’ to the most important things in life.  Let’s Make Room!


Icebreaker:
1- What’s the last thing you said ‘yes’ to that you really didn’t want to do? (And please don’t say “Join this rGroup!”)

2- Is it hard for you to say 'no'? Why or why not?


Transition:
Contrary to popular belief, this story isn’t teaching that we should all be Mary and not be Martha.  In fact, there are many times in Scripture where Jesus calls people to action; to essentially stop sitting down and get up and do something!  The point of this text is to identify the opportunity in every situation and learn to choose the best ‘yes’ in every area of life.

Study:
Reread Luke 10:38-42

1- Who do you relate to the most in this story: Mary or Martha?

2- Are you bothered by people that are different than you? (Martha was obviously bothered by Mary’s apparent lack of work ethic).

3- What are the strengths of each?  What are the potential pitfalls of each?

## GOOD THINGS become BAD THINGS when they squeeze out the IMPORTANT THINGS

4- The NIV of the texts says that Martha was “distracted” by many things.  What are the things in life that oftentimes distract you from what’s most important?

5- Having margin in life is about building your decisions and time around what’s BEST instead of what’s GOOD.  List off a few “good” things in life, then list the “best” things that God has called you to daily.

6- Has it been a struggle to find time for the best, most important things in your life?


## Every Moment is Filled with Opportunity

7- Tell of a time in life where you looked back on the day and realized you missed a huge opportunity (Open door to share your faith with a friend, chance to help someone, missed out on a blessing, etc)

8- Make of list of the opportunities that you have daily, and give a few examples of how you can seize those opportunities so make an impact (driving in the car with kids on the way to school, conversation around the dinner table, daily interaction with co-workers, opportunity to engage/learn in your rGroup each week, seeing your neighbor working in the yard every weekend, etc).

Next Steps:
9- Despite all of the flack that Martha catches from this story, she was actually the one that initiated and facilitated the entire opportunity for Mary.  What are ways that you can initiate an opportunity this week for someone to encounter Jesus? (sharing your faith, inviting someone to church, bringing Jesus up in a conversation, offering to pray for someone, sharing something on social media that you're reading or learning from)

10- Plan and prioritize your day to make sure that you are saying YES to the most important things as opposed to the non-essentials or urgent things that pop up. Start each morning by defining what's most important for that day.

11- Here are some great “yeses” that you can prioritize this week:
A- Spend 5 minutes daily in prayer
B- commit to read your bible daily
C- commit to serve someone every week
D- commit to preparing and being engaged in group so that you can grow deeper and help others in their walk with Jesus