What's Important to You?
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Chapter: 1.06
(Section 1: A life that's refreshing and Victorious)
Copyright © Michael Bronson 1997, 1999, and 2000
BibleHelp.org

Summary
You only have so much time and energy in your life and it is easy to waste it on things that do not really matter. Attend to the important things first or you won't have time for them later.

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A man giving a seminar about time management gave the following illustration to his students. "Class," the teacher said as he put a two-gallon glass jar on the table. "You have only so much time in your life." Reaching into a box, he grabbed a rock the size of his fist and put it into the bottom of the jar. While putting more of these rocks into the jar he said, "You can fill it with whatever you want; you have the choice."

After filling the jar with these rocks he asked if the jar was full. The whole class said it was. He then poured some marbles into the jar and asked if it was now full. The students hesitantly said, "Probably not." The teacher then poured sand into the jar and asked if it was now full. The students, now onto his game, said, "No." Finally, he poured some water into the jar. Looking at the students, he asked, "What important lesson should we learn from this demonstration? One student boldly stood up and said, "We should learn it doesn’t matter how full our schedules are, there is always room for more."

The teacher said, "No. The lesson you should have learned from this was if you want to fit the big rocks in the jar, you must put them in first. They will not fit if you put the other items in first. The rocks are symbolic of the big things in our lives, such as our family and spiritual lives. You must attend to them first before you do anything else. If you don’t make them your first priority, you'll never get around to them."

I have addressed this point several times in this book; Christian workers often neglect their families. They are so busy in God’s vineyard that they lose their own vineyard. I do not believe God is honored if we work so hard for the Lord that we neglect our family. It is important for you to identify the "big rocks" of your life and deal with them first. If you don’t, those areas of your life will be left out.

A friend of mine was at a store with her daughter. She was in a hurry because she was already running late to pick up her other daughter. As she was leaving the store, she saw her husband entering the store. Rushing past him she quickly said, "I’m sorry I can’t stop to talk. I’m already late and don’t have any time to spare. Sorry."

As she was getting everything in the car, she accidentally shut the door on her daughter’s hand (fortunately, her hand was not hurt). As she opened the door she turned and saw her husband standing next to her. Quietly and politely he asked, "Do you have time to talk now?"

I see so much of myself in this incident. Time is a limited and precious commodity. There are so many things that "need" to be done and so little time to do them. In my rush, I sometimes forget the most important thing, which is spending time with God. When I am rushing around with all of my projects, God is patiently waiting to spend time with me. Sometimes, it takes an "incident" to get my attention so I can hear God say, "Do you have time to talk now?" God wants to spend time with you. Don’t crowd Him out with your other "important" things.

Other Chapters in this Section

Home
Up
A Rose Standing Amongst the Rubble
The Victorious Life
Learn to Walk before You Run
The Same Sun that Melts Wax, Hardens Clay
The Longest Day
What's Important to You?
A Slice of Humble Pie
Downing a Duck
To Con a Con
Life in the Fast Lane


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