Wasting Time

There once was a man named Mr. Busy who took great pride in his work. "Don't procrastinate! Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today!" he would often say in response to anyone who asked hnow he gained his success. For you see, Mr. Busy was a very wealthy businessman and was very dedicated to his wealth and gaining more of it.

Not a minute would pass without Mr. Busy having something to do. If he wasn't at work, then he was getting prepared for work. The time in between he spent sleeping and eating so that he would have the energy to work. He would go in to work before the sun would come up and wouldn't return home until it had long gone down.

Mr. Busy's work was his life and his life reflected the success of his work. Mr. Busy owned acres of land, two houses, many cars, and wonderfully extravagant things With the fortune that he had earned from all of his work, he could buy anything that his heart desired (or so he thought). Too bad he didn't have time to enjoy them. After all, he had too much work to do. There was no time for recreation, fun, and vacations; he had to work in order to afford the things that he didn't have time to enjoy. When someone would ask, "Why don't you take a vacation and go do something fun?" he would reply, "I don't have time for silliness and games when there is work to be done and a dollar to be gained!"

After hearing of the great dedication that Mr. Busy had for his work, it goes without saying that his family was often neglected. His wife raised the kids alone and spent many lonely nights by herself at the dinner table. The children knew their father best when they read about his success in the newspaper or heard about him on the news. He missed out on all of their plays and extracurricular activities due to late nights at the office. Home to Mr. Busy was a cold and solemn place where he was surrouded by strangers (his family) that he was inevitably forced to interact with.

Days turned into months and months into years a the Busy household and before Mr. Busy knew it, he was old and gray and no longer able to work. It was during this time that he realized just how important rest, relaxation, and the warmth of his family were, but it was too little too late. He became very ill in his old age, and began to die.

Once his life had slipped away, he was confronted at the gates of Heaven (although Mr. Busy was a busy man, he still managed to squeeze God into his schedule). "Angel," he said to Peter at the gate "send me back to Earth. I'll pay you anything if you just will let me go back to my family!" The angel simply shook his head and told him that that would not be possible. "You don't understand! I've spent my entire life trying not to be a lazy man and in the process, I have put success and wealth before the things that truly matter. In my last years, however, I haven't been able to work, leaving ample time for me to enjoy the real joys of life and to really get to know my family.But oh! There is so much more to learn about them and so much more love for me to give. So what do you say, Angel? Just one more chance or the old geezer? Name your price and I'll double it and give it to you!"

The angel pitied the now old man, for he really loved his family and wasn't ready to leave them, but his time was up and there was nothing that he nor the angel could do. "I would have to say on behalf of everyone who has ever loved or has been loved by God that we truly feels sorry for you in this predicament, but your time has run out, and no riches that you have every owned can replace it. All I can say to you now is 'Count it all joy! You're about to enter Heaven!"

Mr. Busy was a man who hated wasting time, but what he failed to realize was that living life was not a crime. We often associate wasting time as doing nothing when there is so much to be done, yet we forget that there are priorities that must be set. It's okay to let some time go drifting by when we're tending to the things that matter most. So don't let time run out on you when there is som much more to do!