Important things in life (Pt 1)
I have a few stories I want to share with you, which I hope will help you evaluate your life and priorities as a parent, spouse, leader, and Christian. We all are given time as a gift by God. We need to learn to use it wisely, so the things that matter take up the most of it!
Enjoy story #1. DK
A pastor stood before his people with some items on the table in front of him. When the sermon began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the people if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the pastor 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 pastor 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 people responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The people responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the preacher, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your spouse, your health, your children – 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, 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 important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your spouse out on a date. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
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