There is a bit of wisdom in the behavior of the disciples when Jesus came preaching and called them.  James and John were fishing by the Sea of Galilee, busy with their nets, when Jesus passed by.  And what happened then?  The Bible says, "They left everything and followed him."  They really didn't have time.  Their business was important.  But, like the wise men they turned out to be, they immediately made time for what mattered.

In a poem, T.S. Eliot says bluntly that 'we are the hollow men' of history, with our 'heads stuffed with straw', mostly because we have too much time for what doesn't matter, and too little time for what is vital.

Former President Herbert Hoover put the truth strikingly in a letter to a small boy who had written to him.  The boy wrote, "Dear Sir, I am a student in the sixth grade... I am interested in knowing how the sixth grade made your life successful.  Please answer at your earliest convenience."  Mr. Hoover answered, "The sixth grade made me successful by preparing me for the seventh, and the seventh by preparing me for the eighth, and so on.  May it do the same for you.  Yours faithfully, Herbert Hoover."

Prayer:  Lord, this day help us to sift through the priorities in our lives.  Then give us the courage to choose between the important and the unimportant.  Show us how to act with justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you.  Give us victory over the addictions that have made us servants and not masters of our own way.  Comfort those who grieve.  Cast a net of safety around our children and grandchildren, around the men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Make this a good day for all nurses and doctors, police officers, firefighters, and others who must work as we rest.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.