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Sunday, December 28, 2008
12:30 PM
I just recieved a mail and read a story. It goes like this...
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Title: The mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee
When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
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 t o 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 an unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee 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. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18.. 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 coffee represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
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It just thought me a precious lesson. Time is limited. We should always invest in what is really really important.
This is really timely.
Yesterday's sermon talked about how can we invest our time and what should be the important things in life.
And this morning i was listening to one of Pasto Wayne Cordeiro's teaching. He was talking about what are few things in life that we want to be good at. We cannot be good at everything. Thus, we have to selectively choose what we want to be really good at and known for at the end of our lives. For example, be a great businessman, great friend, great counselor and even be a good husband. These are the few things that we have to put time and effort to learn ad grow in. Which is also known as the golf balls in the story.
These questions came ringing in my mind, 'What is worth investing my time and whlole life for?' 'What aremy priorities?' 'How do i want to live my life to make the most benefit out of it?'
For me, anything that will last for eternity are the things that really matters. How about you?
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