Fall. It’s that time of year when
the leaves begin to fall, the first frost hits, and the days fluctuate between
beautiful sunny times and damp, drizzly
days. There are so many holidays to prepare for in the fall. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas just around the corner, not
to mention football games, cheerleading games and events, band competitions,
and a host of other fall related activities.
Makes us want to set some boundaries on our time. What we will do and what will we forgo.
Throw in a Chili Supper, Trunk or Treat, Thanksgiving
Meal, Christmas Dinner, Revival, Christmas program preparations, and a host of
other Church related activities and it’s enough to make us all want to go and
hide for a while. All these things are good in
themselves, but obviously we all can’t do them all. What are the priorities? What should you and I do? Which things should we be most concerned about?
This is a story I have seen on the internet for years.
I’ve adapted it a little for our church family, but it’s truth always reminds me of life’s priorities.
A philosophy professor stood before his class and
had some items in front of him. When the class
began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and
proceeded to fill it
with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles
and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open
areas between the rocks. He then asked
the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured
it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
with an unanimous - yes.
"Now," said the professor, as the
laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your
life. The rocks are the important things - your faith, your family, your children, your health - Things that if
everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter, like
your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else. The small
stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he
continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes
for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you
will never have room for the things that are really important. Pay attention to the things
that are critical to your life. Spend time with
God, make family and
friends a priority, worship with fellow believers.
"Take care of the rocks first, the things
that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
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