The professor had a jar of rocks on his desk. He asked his students if the jar was full. There was a resounding “Yes!” Then he pulled out a jar of pebbles and poured them in the jar. As the pebbles sifted in around the larger rocks, he presented the same question to the class. This time the response was, “Absolutely this time!” Then the professor produced a jar of sand and proceeded to pour the contents into the original jar. Again, the sand settled in around the larger rocks and pebbles and he posed the question one more time. The class said, “We think so.”
Finally, the professor produced a cup of coffee and poured it in in the jar and provided a valuable life lesson for his students. He said, “If the big rocks are put in first, you will always have time for a cup of coffee with a friend.” Life is not about balance but about right priorities.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. … Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her … Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. – Matthew 22:37, Ephesians 5:25 & 6:4. Growing in relationship with the Lord, learning to love as He loves in marriage and bringing children up under that love are the right priorities for a life of Kingdom influence in this BUSY world. One of the devil’s most prolific lies is that life is about balancing time at work with family and other activities. His scheme is to reduce a relationship Jesus to an activity like going to church every Sunday. There is nothing close to the significance of, or the power in a personal, passionate relationship with Jesus the Christ in this life. Thus, the lie of life balance is to be rebuked by a life ilived under right priorities.
This is critical information for young fathers and families. Study after study reflects how important moms and dads are to a child’s development. Setting right priorities before “wants” turn into “needs” and expenses drive both parents out of the home to work fulltime, is the key to raising godly offspring. There is an eighteen-year window of raising children in which the first 3-5 years are especially dependent on the unique impact a mom and dad have on their child. Day care programs and mandatory pre-kindergarten schooling are inconsistent with God’s design for marriage and family.
Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for Your word. I am amazed at how over time, scientific studies validate Your design for man, woman, marriage and family. Yet, I let busy-ness or other distractions dominate and guide my efforts to find life balance. Forgive me. I know BUSY stands for Being Under Satan’s Yoke and his yoke is about destroying marriage and family. Help me take on Your yoke Lord (Matt.11:30) and establish right priorities for the marriage and family You have blessed me with. Keep me alert to rebuke distractions that call for life balance. Help me glorify You as a man, husband and father that prioritizes the right stuff in life. Amen.
A faithful father rebukes ‘life balance’ by living under right priorities.
The professor had a jar of rocks on his desk. He asked his students if the jar was full. There was a resounding “Yes!” Then he pulled out a jar of pebbles and poured them in the jar. As the pebbles sifted in around the larger rocks, he presented the same question to the class. This time the response was, “Absolutely this time!” Then the professor produced a jar of sand and proceeded to pour the contents into the original jar. Again, the sand settled in around the larger rocks and pebbles and he posed the question one more time. The class said, “We think so.”
