Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Little Stones Go Last

Many years ago I heard a speaker teach about the art to filling a jar with stones of varying sizes.

He said the smart thing to do is to fit the larger stones first.
Little stones easily find nooks to rest in, larger ones can't.
I suppose the same may be true when creating a rock garden.  


When I feel myself getting the "inkies" I know my little stones are taking up way too much space, making way too much noise,
and pushing their way into the crannies of my day.  

Most of the time I don't even notice the big stuff is waiting patiently and quietly on the side line, knowing they're not going to fit.

When those "inkies" come, I've learned some "go to" responses that help to remind me to beware of pushy pebbles.


BE STILL

"Be still and know that I am God."

FORGIVE QUICKLY

"Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

PLAN AHEAD, BUT BE FLEXIBLE

"Be anxious for no thing. . ."

PROTECT JOY

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

We know what the large stones are, we don't always know what the little ones will be. Therefore, let's not neglect the non-negotiables, and the negotiables can come in, if there's space.

Becoming an expert jar filler may not happen this side of heaven,
however with the grace of God, and intentional practice,
becoming better every day is a possibility.


Linking up to Holley Gerth, Coffee for Your Heart today.


5 comments:

  1. Hi, Damarise! Glad to have found your blog. I'm your neighbor at Holley's link-up. Your blog is beautiful.

    This is a wonderful take on idea of filling the jar with different size stones. Thanks for spelling out what the big rocks are.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoyed reading your post. A good reminder about our priorities. Thank you for sharing!

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  3. My favorite part is "protect joy." So many of those little stones know how to take my joy!

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