The great architect Frank Lloyd Wright was fond of an incident that may have seemed insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his life. The winter he was 9, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his reserved, no- nonsense uncle. As the two of them reached the far end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow's flight, and then young Frank's tracks meandering all over the field. "Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again," his uncle said. "And see how my tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important lesson in that."

Years later the world-famous architect liked to tell how the experience had contributed to his philosophy in life. "I determined right then," he'd say with a twinkle in his eye, "not to miss the things in life, that my uncle had missed."

Frank Lloyd Wright saw in those tracks what his uncle could not: It is easy to let the demands of life keep us from the joys of living.

We all recognize that any goal in life worth achieving demands a great deal of our energy. If you are a doctor you must spend vast hours alone and in residency studying the human body. The life of your patient demands it. If you are a teacher you must live in the library researching and preparing for your lecture. The mind of your student demands it. If you are a carpenter you must patiently measure the building before you drive the first nail. The integrity of the structure depends on it. If you are a mother you must sacrifice your life for another. Your children require it.

We could not live if we did not set goals and work to fulfill them. No sane person would argue otherwise. But here’s what young Wright discovered at the tender age of 9, and what some don’t learn until 59: The objective in life is not the goal but the journey on the way to the goal. The whole city had gathered around the door, pressing in to see Jesus. The demands on him were already piling up. He cured many, cast out demons, and taught constantly. And his disciples didn’t help matters. When he left in the morning early to pray, they went searching for him. And when they found him they said, “What are you doing, everyone is searching for you?”

How do we enjoy the journey when everyone and everything is searching for you, wanting a piece of you, and demanding your time?

I

First, remember that hard work is required. We all have to work. We work at our jobs; we work at home; we do homework; we even work on our marriages. And why do we do all this work? I think most of instinctively know what Proverbs explicitly warns, “A little sleep a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and your want will come in like a blind man.” We are fools, the wisdom book tells us, if we say to ourselves, a little more sleep, a little more slumber, a little more. We work because well living demands it.

Any of you have grandparents who are fond of reminding you about a strong work ethic? Have you ever heard this one from your grandparents, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better, and your better is best”? Every family has these proverbial pearls that they pass down to their children. Have your parents ever told you, “Idle hands are the Devil’s toolbox”? Work. Hard work is good for the soul. To have a goal, to apply yourself and accomplish that goal, there is no feeling like it.

That’s what I see when I look at Jesus in this passage. Look at what kind of day he has: First, Jesus is just getting started on the job. It’s the beginning of his ministry. Mark tells us that after one of his first sermons he is thrown into the thick of it. They leave the synagogue and immediately he is confronted with the sickness of Peter’s mother-in-law. She has a fever and he heals her. He takes her by the hand and helps her up. The fever leaves her and what does she do? She goes to work. She waits on Peter, James, John, Simon, Andrew, and Jesus. The other disciples are probably there as well. You would think Jesus would have said, you lay still until you get your strength back.

After the sun sets all the people in this small town bring their sick and demon possessed. The whole town is gathered at the door and they are healed. Nothing more is said here of Peter’s mother-in-law but I am sure she could not have imagined after starting her day with a deadly fever, that she would end up entertaining 12 disciples and their rabbi, then ending the day with the town descending on her home. At some point that evening they all finally get some sleep.

But instead of sleeping-in Jesus gets up before dawn and leaves the house to pray. Then Simon and company go looking for him. When they find him in solitude and prayer, “Everyone is searching for you,” Simon says. Jesus could have said any number of things at this point, but what he says is surprising. Instead of trying to get across the obvious, that he is trying to have a moment alone, all to himself with God, he says, “You’re right, Simon.” You’re right; let’s go to the next town so we get started there.

Now, on another Sunday, and at another time I am going to take this time to tell you that you need to stop. Stop your work. Stop the hustle. Stop the madness and find some solitude. But this morning I am going to tell you to keep running. Why? Because in Africa every morning when the sun comes up, a gazelle wakes. He knows that he must outrun the fastest lion or he will be eaten. When the sun comes up, the lion wakes. He knows that he must outrun the slowest gazelle, or he will starve. In the end it doesn't matter whether you are a lion or gazelle; when the sun comes up, you better be running.

Let us go somewhere else so I can preach. Let us leave this solitude and go to work. It is telling that Jesus then said, “That is why I have come.” He understood the charge he had to keep and he set about doing it. Perhaps he didn’t get the time he needed for solitude. Neither do we.

When everyone is searching for you it is a reminder that hard work is required.

II

Secondly, when everyone is searching for you, you should remember not to let others define your goal. How do we work hard and keep it from killing us? I think the obvious answer is to take some time off and some time away from the work. This is obvious and I hope you do take vacations. There is, however, other ways of combating fatigue. Look at this very short and subtle exchange between Simon Peter and Jesus. Simon has just come from his mother-in-law’s home and he says to Jesus, “Jesus, everyone is searching for you!” It sounds like he is pretty excited about something and is chastising Jesus for slipping away.

Now, my question is this: Who is searching for Jesus? The other disciples? The sick he has healed? His mother-in-law? Yes, I think they are all searching for him but there is a little more here. What happened was, when the sun came up, the town descended upon this poor woman’s house again. The word had spread and the world was at the door of this poor woman’s house and these disciples had no idea what to do with them. Thomas certainly wasn’t going to heal them. James didn’t know how to cast out any demons. Andrew couldn’t open the eyes of the blind. So Simon runs.

Look closely at Jesus’ response: Let us go somewhere else. Somewhere else. Somewhere else? I can hear Simon stammering: What about… There are sick people… Wha’ do I tell my mother-in…. Somewhere else Peter.

Here is the surprise: Jesus did not feel that he had to respond to every need. It has been odd to me over the years that people imagine Jesus met every need. When Jesus was in Capernaum, he was not in Bethsaida! People in Bethsaida could have been healed. When he was in the wilderness, people back in town were suffering. Jesus didn’t even meet the needs of one percent of the people in Palestine during his three years. Why? It wasn’t his goal. But Simon thought it was. At least at this moment, Simon thought it was the goal.

Charles R. Swindoll, in his book “Dropping Your Guard” tells of Flight 401 bound for Miami from New York City with a load of holiday passengers. As the huge aircraft approached the Miami Airport for its landing, a light that indicates proper deployment of the landing gear failed to come on. The plane flew in a large, looping circle over the swamps of the Everglades while the cockpit crew checked out the light failure. Their question was this, had the landing gear actually not deployed or was it just the light bulb that was defective?

To begin with, the flight engineer fiddled with the bulb. He tried to remove it, but it wouldn't budge. Another member of the crew tried to help out...and then another. By and by, if you can believe it, all eyes were on the little light bulb that refused to be dislodged from its socket. No one noticed that the plane was losing altitude. Finally, it dropped right into a swamp. Many were killed in that plane crash. While an experienced crew of high-priced and seasoned pilots messed around with a seventy-five-cent light bulb, an entire airplane and many of its passengers were lost. The crew momentarily forgot the most basic of all rules of the air -- "Don't forget to fly the airplane!"

The same thing can happen to the local church. The church can have so many activities, programs, projects, committee meetings, banquets, and community involvements -- so many wheels spinning without really accomplishing anything of eternal significance -- that the congregation forgets its primary objective.

So what is Jesus’ goal? Jesus says it is to preach. That is why I have come, to preach! There may be some healings along the way. Simon, let’s not get lost in the hysteria. Let’s stay focused boys. I have come to preach the kingdom of God and we must go elsewhere.

Let's not be like Flight 401 and be distracted by other task! Our goal is to win this lost world to Jesus Christ. When everyone is searching for you remember not to let them define your goal. You’ll loose your focus and make your hard work more difficult.

III

Finally, when everyone is searching for you remember to pray. Our Lord needed to and so do you. There may not be a lot of time to get adequate prayers in when the crowds are descending upon the house and there are 12 disciples coming at you, and demons to deal with, and sick family members but find a moment, even if you have to hide. They’ll find you eventually, you know they will, but by then you will have found some food for the journey.

And you know what that food will help you do? It will help you work hard. There is a lot of work out there that needs to get done, at our jobs, at home, in our marriages, and right here, in the church, hard work for the kingdom of God.

It will help you do one other thing. It’ll help you stay focused on your goal. It might not be your job to preach. Your job likely is elsewhere. But you won’t get sidetracked and try to take on every job and every role in the kingdom. You’ll go where you need to go and do what you can do. And that’s enough. Amen.