Taking care of the golf balls...

 Welcome to my front porch! You must know, I could spend hours on this porch in my swing. I cannot explain what a relief this porch and swing provides me. Whether its a late night or an early morning, this is a place I can take care of me; countless late night talks, drowzy early mornings, happy swingings and mid-day crisis have been dealt with. You also must know, although this place provides peace, it also provides entertainment. We do live on the four lane highway, but that does not change us country folk, yes we shoot the BB gun off the porch (we normally aim at the string of cans hanging from the magnolia tree).

 I got an email from my 90yr old great grandmother, which provided me with a kiss for today. I have to share.
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students 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 shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous ‘Yes …’

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed..
'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car..
The sand is everything else---the small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.
The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'
The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

                                          

 So take a load off, find time for "your swing", and take care of "your golf balls".

Happy Tuesday!

I'm to busy for this...

"There are many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the whole world would not have enough room for the books that would be written."  John 21:25


....and I think I'm busy!  


It is so easy to get caught up in the "busy" of a day, or at least for me it is. I can scratch off things on my "To Do" list with the best of them.  I can neglect important issues and think of 100million things I could be doing instead of what I'm actually supposed to be doing.  As I watch my "To Do" list consistently grow, I have errands to run, voicemails to listen to, calls to return, emails to check, and I feel like I'm standing nose deep in quicksand while everyone is looking for me.

I think that "overwhelming feeling" minutely touches the busyness Jesus had going on for Him.  Even though Jesus was the Word become flesh, He still felt the effects of physical exhaustion in His human body.  Mark 1:29-39, Jesus had been in the synagogue teaching and dealing with demons all day.  His body was physically drained but His heart was still striving to serve. He reached out and healed Peter's mother-in-law, then healed people who were waiting outside the house, then to the rest of the city since the word spread He was available for healing, then He reached out to all of Galilee after being directed through prayer to reach out to those in other towns in the area.  THEN, on top of that, The day after all of this, Jesus woke up early and disappeared to a quiet spot and started praying.  Prayer refreshed God's Son for what would be expected of Him during the new day.  He gained direction for the day and when the disciples found Him, they said to him "Everyone is looking for You" and Jesus answered them "Let us go into the next towns, so that I may preach there also".

Wanna check your emails and voicemails now? Um, yes please!  Being available is demanding!

"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" Matthew 20:28.  Jesus' availability to the Father and His willingness to submit Himself to becoming human just for Him to be available to us, is beyond amazing.  How could we not respond to that example?  I often cling selfishly, to my privacy, and I want my "space"; when that only means I am withholding many benefits and resources Jesus has given us to share with others.  Jesus never meant for us to hoard our salvation and its blessings.  He wants us to stretch ourselves each day.  He gives us the grace to be available to the needs of those seeking Him, and can find Him through us.  

So, my heart has heard it, and my soul cries out for it, Jesus show me how to balance my "busyness" and represent You better!  I pray I will always remember His availability to me when my heart and soul cries out to Him.