> Reflections

12/02/2013 - Don’t forget, the rocks first!

Machado

The message you will read below, was inspired by an example given by a university professor who, with great wisdom, managed to show his students how to build a foundation for their lives.

 

In our world, we see homes destroyed, marriages ruined, sons who have abandon their families, parents who have been forgotten by their children, and so many like things, that we come to ask ourselves, why all of this?

 

Is it possible that today we are reaping the harvest of the seeds our parents have sown? Is it possible that our children will bear bitter fruit because of the seeds we sow today?

 

Let’s go to the examples I mentioned in the beginning;

 

This university professor brought some objects to class so that he might illustrate an important principle for his students. The objects were large rocks, small stones, sand, and a wide mouthed glass bottle filled with water. He placed the glass bottle on a table, and hid the others underneath.

 

When class began, he took a large rock from under the table and put it in the bottle. He then asked the class if more would fit. “Yes,” replied the students.

 

He got two more big stones, placed them in the bottle and asked again if more would fit. “No!!!” replied the students, for one of the edges of the stones was sticking outside the bottle.

 

The professor then got some small stones and sand, and began to fill the bottle. Then he asked again if more would fit. The students remained in silence, with their eyes glued to the professor, eagerly awaiting his next move.

 

He then began to pour water into the bottle. The water flowed through the cracks and the spaces left by the other objects, and down to the bottom of the bottle. With a smile the professor said to his students; “you see, it all fits!”

 

The class remained in silence, imagining what would come next. When the professor asked if someone could tell him what kind of example he had tried to give in class that day, one student raised his hand and said; “I know professor! You tried to show us that there is always time for everything, that even when we think that we don’t have time for something, if we try hard we will manage to find some time.”

 

“ No! That is not what i tried to teach you”, replied the professor. “What i wanted to show you all is that in our lives, some things must have priorities. When I first placed the big stones, then the small stones, then the sand, and finally the water, I was showing you that if I had inverted the order—pouring in water first, then the sand, and so on—by the time I had gotten to the big stones, the water would have overflowed. We must understand that some basic things in our lives must have priority”.

 

In this way, the professor was able to get his students’ attention, and to send them the message he wanted to send.

 

I would like to take advantage of this professor’s example to call attention to some basic things that we must prioritize in our lives. If you are still reading this article, it is because you have a desire to establish priorities in a way that would make you a person who has realized his or her potential, and has been freed from pain.

 

I would advise you to prioritize the following three things:

 

-God. We must make time for God. He must always be on your mind. Go to church, learn about the word of God, how to pray and have communion with others. God created man to live in society among others.

 

-Family. Another basic thing that you must prioritize is your family. In the Bible it says that “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” I Tm 5.8. Take good care of your family, because family is a devine institution that should be respected by all.

 

-Health. Take good care of your body and your health. Eat a balanced diet, take walks, play sports, and treat your body well.

 

Maybe you are thinking about a career and your finances… but let me tell you something! If we put the big rocks in bottle first, the water and the sand will always have enough room. What we mustn’t do is to invert the order, because then all is lost.

 

Take good care of yourselves.

 

God bless you.

 

Rev. José Machado é pastor-líder da Igreja

Internacional da Graça de Deus Portuguesa

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