ROCKS AND PRIORITIES

Subject: Thought for the day

A while back an expert on time management gave a talk to a group of business students. While talking to the students, he used an illustration to drive home his point. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."

Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good," he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it."

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

--- What are the "big rocks" in your life? Christ? Time with your family? What things are most important to you? Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and then all these things shall be added unto you."

Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get to them at all. --- So tonight, or in the morning when you are reflecting on this story, ask yourself this question: What are the "Big Rocks" in your life? Then put those in your jar first.