PRIORITIES (short read..powerful message)

One day, 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 over achievers, he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." and he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth 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 time management 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 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 har was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver 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."
And what are the most important "big rocks" in our lives today? Money? Job? Fancy Car? "NO!" Those things are a "long way" from the "most important" "big rocks" in our lives. The most important big rocks you will EVER have in your life are your faith, and time with your loved ones. So each morning, before
you begin your day, ask yourself the question, "What are the big rocks in my life today?" And be sure and put those in first!
Kathryn Tweet