Priorities
One day a Rabbi brought out a large jar and put it in front of the students. Next to it was a bucket with fist-sized stones. They sat there for a while. All the students wondered how these rocks would be used. Do you think the stones would fit in the jar? The students answered: of course, it seems obvious that all these rocks would fit. So, the Rabbi put the large fist-sized rocks into the jar. And then the jar was full to the top with stones. Is the jar full, the Rabbi asked? The students answered yes because it seemed obvious that the jar was full to the top with fist-sized rocks.
The Rabbi brought out another bucket with pea-sized gravel and began to pour them into the jar filling up all the spaces left by the larger stones. Is the jar full now, he asked? No one answered because they were not sure what to say. The Rabbi then brought out another bucket full of fine sand and began to pour the sand into the jar. The sand began to fill in the available spaces.
The Rabbi said that the point of this story is that life is like this jar. We fill it in with all kinds of things, some not so important yet necessary, others much larger and more significant. What would’ve happened if we put the sand in first? The little less important things in first and then the pea-sized gravel. Would there have been enough room for the more important things in life, the fist-sized stones?
The answer is obvious, NO, there would not be room enough for the more important things. We would NOT have gotten them all into the jar. We need to learn to live this way; to make sure that there is room for the big things in life. The BIG things are LOVING GOD. LOVING PEOPLE. TOGETHER. My relationships with family and friends. We would first find space for the BIG things that are significant so that they don’t get pushed aside. Then there would be room enough to fit in the other smaller things of life, even as good as they might be, we would find space for what is more important first!
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
I pray that the jar of your life would be filled with the BIG things that matter, having the right priorities, seeking first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness.
Pastor Steve