Emergency vehicles make my skin crawl. I get nervous when an ambulance passes me on the highway or fire trucks whiz past me on the way to some emergency nearby.

Yet incredibly, I see people every day who are going by me like they are fire trucks. "Quick! Get out of the way! I've got a big job to do! I've got no time to do it."

But is life really nothing more than a string of big emergencies?

You never get the impression that Jesus moved around people like an ambulance or a fire truck, rushing here and there and everywhere. He never seemed to be in a rush. He treated people as very personal concerns, not as an impatient, time-pressed speed healer. He seemed to have enough time to stop and be personally present for each person, even though he had a monumental task filled with many pressing needs.

Jesus took time to pray, to listen, and to really see people. This purposeful living — this style of relationships — brought peace and joy, not frenzy!

So how are you going about your life? How much frustration and frenzy are you encountering because of your life?

Maybe it's time to take off the fire hat, get down on your knees, and seek the Father's presence and guidance for your harried and hurried world.

Maybe it's time to take off the fire hat?

The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. They said, "Everyone is asking for you."

But he replied, "We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too, because that is why I came." So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and expelling demons from many people (Mark 1:35-39 NLT).