The Empty Jar

A professor stood in front of his philosophy class, with some items before him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty jar, and began filling it with golf balls. When they reached the top, he asked the class if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He gave the jar a shake, and the pebbles rolled into the spaces around the golf balls. He asked again if the jar was full.

Again, they agreed that it was.

Then he picked up a box of sand, and poured it into the jar, and it filled all the spaces between the pebbles. He asked yet again, if the jar was full. The students replied with a resounding "Yes!"

Then, he produced two cups of coffee, and poured them into the jar, filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

When the laughter subsided, the professor said to them "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things: God, family, your children, your health, good friends, and your passions. If all else was lost, but they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter, like your house, your car, your job. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. It's the same with life. If you put all your time and energy, into the small stuff, you'll never have room, for the things that are important."

No Time

I knelt to pray, but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I hurried off to go to work,
The bills were overdue.

And so I said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty now was done,
My soul could be at ease.

All through the day, I had no time,
To speak a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me, I feared.

No time, no time, too much to do,
This was my constant cry.
No time to give to those in need...
At last, it was time to die.

And when before the Lord I came,
I stood with downcast eyes.
Within His hands he held a book,
It was the book of Life.

God looked into his book, and said
"Your name I cannot find,
I once was going to write it down,
But never found the time".