If you’ve spent much time in women’s or family ministries, you’ve very likely heard the account of Mary and Martha. Found in Luke 10, the story goes that Jesus came to visit the home of Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, we’re told, soaking up his words. Martha busies herself with hosting, ultimately exclaiming, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Jesus tells Martha that she is worrying herself and that Mary has “chosen the better thing.”

Though this account takes place in only five verses, it’s become a go-to warning against the dangers of overwork and being a busybody. But what this approach fails to consider, Kristen Padilla explains, is the Martha described elsewhere in the gospels—a Martha who was one of the very first people to believe that Jesus is Lord.

“Martha, through her own example of faith, encourages us to believe in the face of death or impossibilities,” Padilla writes. “Jesus chose to reveal his glory to her by enabling her to believe. Martha also reminds us of the loving gentleness and patience of Jesus, who helps us believe when our faith wavers.”

Next time you find yourself fretting or worried, think of Martha: not as a judgment on your anxiety, but as a reminder of the faith you can cling to in every moment of preoccupation.