Put the big rocks in first!
An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz” and he pulled out a one-gallon mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also 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 yelled, “Yes.” The expert replied, “Really?”
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then 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 the jar and it went into all of 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 at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”
One student 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 in 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?
Before you begin answering consider your response carefully. Are the ‘big rocks’ in your life your career, your family, your home, your church? Or, are the ‘big rocks’ in your life God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?
Now, most of us would not list our ‘big rocks’ as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And this is my point. These are the ‘big rocks’! The other so-called ‘big rocks’: our career, our family, our home, our church are recipients of our putting the true ‘big rocks’ in first.
Our understanding of God as the great Cause, of Christ as man’s perfect selfhood, and of the Holy Ghost, the divine law that binds God and His creation, man, is what resolves our career issues, our family issues, our home issues, and our church issues.
Have you ever started your day by getting a lot done and saying to yourself, “Wow! I’ve been really productive this morning. I’ve gotten so much done! My list is almost checked off!” But, we find that we have not yet taken time to communion with God and get a clear sense of our relationship to Him as His child? That is a sign that we are not putting the big rocks in first. It’s a sign that we are allowing our priorities to get mixed up. Remember, it was Emerson who said, “The cart before the horse is neither beautiful nor useful.”
Interestingly, our the author of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, defines “Rock” in her textbook as “Spiritual foundation; Truth.”
It is our spiritual foundation that takes care of everything else in our experience. It is Truth, God, whom we learn to put first each moment, each morning, each day, that leads us and directs our path. St. Matthew confers Jesus’ teaching like this: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
St Paul called the distracting thoughts that would lead away from God the “carnal mind.” This material, mortal, mind tries to push us to seek everything else first. It pushes us to finish a project, balance the books, bake a cake, tinker with an engine, grade some papers, return emails. Anything and everything it can put first is mortal mind’s goal. That’s why we have to work at this Science. That’s why we have to consciously and thinkingly put first things first, -- and never let the carnal mind get the upper hand, because if we do we find we’re not preparing ourselves appropriately to gain a clearer understanding of our relationship with God, good.
Mrs. Eddy writes elsewhere in her textbook: “Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul.” That’s the goal isn’t it, to seek thoughts not things? And if we are seeking things, materiality, we learn to exchange those things, material desires for thoughts, right ideas.
Seeking spiritual thoughts that uplift and heal requires prayer, -- prayer that draws nigh to God. St. James councils us: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” Drawing nigh to God requires thought. Deep thought. Consecrated thought. Quiet thought. Expectant thought. Joyful thought. Drawing nigh to God requires not only a desire to draw nigh but also a do-not-disturb sign posted at our mental door as we draw nigh to Him. It requires that no element of the carnal mind be allowed to step into our mental closet during the moments we have set aside to commune with God.
A friend of mine, while serving the board of a company would meet with the other board members to review the agenda. Then they would retire to their respective offices to pray about the agenda for one hour before they reconvened to act on the agenda. She noted how the carnal mind would try to enter into that hour. Telemarketers would call. Emergencies in the company would arise. Contractors needed immediate answers on projects. But, she learned to hold her ground and take these issues up in prayer, as well. Doing this she found the problems were resolved and her prayerful time was uninterrupted.
Isn’t that just like the carnal mind to pull one away from the hour of prayer into “things” rather than “thoughts”?
Prayer and dedication, putting first things first, refusing to get the cart before the horse enables us to walk with God and allows Him to lead. Putting our spiritual priorities first, seeking God first, builds our spiritual foundation and we find our devotion of thought brings the needed solution we’re needing and seeking!
I'd love to have you comment below or feel free to reach out!
Contact: Lynn Jackson:
Email: lynn@jacksoncsb.com
Website: Lynn Jackson, CSB
Text: 806-796-1753
