Today has really got me thinking about the important things in my life. What is important and what is not? What is important in your life? My grandma sent me an email a few months back with an interesting story. If you have a large container and fill it with golf balls is it full? Yes. Then if you put little pebbles around the golf balls is it full? Yes. Then if you put sand around the pebbles is it full? Yes. The golf balls are what is most important and the pebbles a little less, then the sand is the least important. If you fill your life with sand, or the least important things first, do you have room for the golf balls or most important things? No. If our lives only have the golf balls, are they full? Yes. So what are the golf balls in your life and are you putting them in the jar before the sand?
That was not the point in writing this blog. I decided to write this blog to ask this question. Are you going to stick up for the important things in your life? If you said at first that God and your family are the most important things (golf balls), are you going to defend those things? Are you going to let someone talk bad about your family or God and not do anything about it? Will it roll off your back, or are you going to say that it offends you and give an explanation of your beliefs? I hope that you can recognize the important things in your life. The things that are essential for living. Without God in my life I would have no purpose. He is the reason why I am here in the Dominican Republic, and the reason why I want to be a pastor and teach youth. Youth need to be able to identify the important things in their life. What seems important in Jr. high and high school is popularity, grades, boyfriend, girlfriend, alcohol, sports, and the list could go on. I had a conversation with my students today because I found a note being passed around the class with a vote about who is better between two students. That is what is most important to them; being in the cool group of friends or being the best.
When the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest at the last supper, Jesus had something to say. He said that the servant is better than the one at the table. Luke 22:27 says, "For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one is is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves." That is a very hard way to live, very hard. Now I am getting off track. All that to say, the story from my grandma says that the important things are God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Is that what should be first in our lives? If that should be first, is it? If you believe those things should be first and someone criticizes you for that belief, will you defend it? There will always be people saying that we are wrong or bad. I want to be able to stick up for what is right even when it is the hardest. Do you feel the same?
