Our Stories
Sand and Gravel ... It's the Pits!
By Char Forslund | posted 09/02/2010
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS." (Matthew 11:28)
A lot of life is sand and gravel. You know, the daily detail, go here, go there, do this, then that. I know because, though it has taken me too long to recognize it, that is where I have been living... in the sand and gravel pit of my life. This story may explain...it is not original with me, but a re-telling of something I heard years ago.
One day a university professor was speaking to her students and, to drive home a point, she used an illustration. As she stood in front of the group of students, she said, "Okay, time for a quiz." She then proceeded to produce a one gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar and sat it on the lectern. She 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, she asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in her class said, "Yes." "Really?" She reached under the lectern and pulled out a bucket of gravel. She dumped some gravel into the jar, and shaking the jar, caused pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Once again she asked the group "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to her. "Probably not," one of them answered. She reached under the table again and got a container of sand. She dumped the sand into the jar and it found its way into every crevice left between the rocks and gravel. Then she began to pour a pitcher of water into the jar until it overflowed. "So what is the point?" she asked. One eager student said, "It means that no matter how busy your life is, if you shove things around enough you can always squeeze in one more thing." With a grin, the teacher replied, "No, not quite. Those rocks represent the big issues and important things in our lives. If you don't put them in the jar before all the small, incidental stuff, you never be able to fit them in. The point is if I do not deal with the big rocks in my life, whatever they might be, I will fill up my life with 'stuff,' sand and gravel and odds and ends. I will run around taking care of things and doing all that appears to need my attention and I will spin in the gravel pit, trying to produce...but it will all be just gravel and sand."
I have come to KNOW that truth. I have been living in a gravel and sand pit. I have put out a lot of "brush fires," taken care of a lot of stuff, detailed the details, and worn myself out in the process. But I have ignored the ROCKS. Since last March some heavy stones have been tossed my way. First, my friend, neighbor, Bible study buddy, Pat died. A week later, on our cruise to Mexico, we were blindsided my Ron's near death experience. Another friend of over 25 years, Jan Downs, died in August, and then Gabe's Grandpa Frank died just two weeks ago. Even though I have walked through these things, I have not truly dealt with them. And here is a huge one. WOW! I have not yet mourned the death of my Mom. I've taken care of the bills, the belongings...all that had to be done, but I have not taken the time to just be in memory with my Mom.
There is a very ample supply of positive rocks too, thank God! Just in the last few weeks I have taken time to begin polishing up a rock that cannot do anything but bless me. If I take the time to give it attention every day, it feeds my soul. There are many more great and joyous rocks in life to celebrate. I just lost track of that for a while, and in the process I lost part of me.
SO MANY ROCKS !!! I have buried myself in sand and gravel with all the daily - moment by moment stuff. Enough! God, I give to You an empty jar. I am stumbling out of the pit...To my many friends in Christ, should you ask a lot of questions right now? Maybe not. Do I covet the blanket of your prayer? A million times YES!
Love and Joy!
Char
Char can be reached via email here.
