A group (let's call them ACME) did a study at a seminary. This involved seminary students (seminarians), each approached separately. The seminarians were to give sermons on the Good Samaritan.

Not all of our readers are from Western culture, so here's a summary of that story (which is from the New Testament). In the time of Christ, people who lived in Samaria were deemed low-lifes by the mainstream folks. If you've read redneck jokes, you get a feel for how Samarians were thought of in those days. An injured man lay by the side of the road, and all of the "good" people walked past him and left him there. But, a Samaritan stopped and gave the man extensive assistance.

At the seminary, ACME called each of the seminarians one at a time. "Sorry, there's been a scheduling error. We need you to give your sermon ten minutes from now. You'll have to hurry to make it here in time."

Without exception, each of the seminarians walked around, or stepped over, an actor hired by ACME to play an injured man in need of assistance.

This was an object lesson. The seminarians were so caught up in meeting an obligation to talk about helping a stranger that they neglected to live the very words they were supposed to speak.

How well do you manage your time?

• As a parent, do you yell at your kids to get them to soccer practice on time?
• As a husband, do you snarl at your wife for making you late to the play you are taking her as a treat?
• As a wife, "correct" your husband when he (unlike most men, unfortunately) "helps out" with domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning, vacuuming, and so on?
• As a spouse, do you let yourself get out of shape so you are less attractive to your mate?
• As an employee, do you undermine your relationship with your boss in any of the hundreds of ways people find to do this?
• As a boss, do you undermine morale by forgetting they are people who need your leadership, example, and support?
• As a neighbor, do you get into petty disputes with your neighbors--thereby devaluing an important aspect of your home?

You can come up with many other examples and situations. Remember that when you sacrifice the larger goal to meet immediate needs, you are usually shooting yourself in your proverbial foot. Take better aim.