A classic object lesson of time management involves a jar with sand, pebbles, water, and big rocks. The first part of the lesson is to put in the pebbles, the sand, and the water. Then, you try to put in the big rocks. You can’t. It’s already full. However, if you start with the big rocks, you can then add the pebbles, the sand, and the water. The lesson? Put in your big rocks first.
When it comes to time management, you should always start with your big rocks. For example, if you value your children, you shouldn’t wait to the end of the week to find time for them. You probably won’t. But if you block out time for your kids each week, then you will be more likely to spend time with them. Plus, you’ll find that you get the other stuff done, too. The pebbles, sand, and water will fit in the jar just fine.
Once you understand that principle, you then need to discover what your big rocks are. What are the most important things in your life? Are they on your schedule? That’s how you make sure, as Goethe says, that “[t]hings which matter most” will “never be at the mercy of things which matter least” (cited in Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 146).
The question I want to pose here is this, what big rocks would Jesus want you to put in first? One big part of loving God is making His priorities ours. What priorities does Jesus have that you do not? What would Jesus want to make sure is on your schedule that may not be there? What would He add to your schedule, if He was making your schedule for the week?
Big Rock #1: Telling People About Jesus
I want to suggest two big rocks that you need to put in your schedule first to align your priorities with Jesus’. The first is evangelism. This means getting to know people who do not know Jesus and then telling them about Jesus. You do not love people simply to tell them about Jesus. You love people, and one part of loving them is telling them about Jesus. It’s loving because it’s good to know Jesus.
Just before Jesus went into heaven, He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20a). Jesus showed how much this was on His heart when He explained in a parable, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke 15:3). If Jesus were making our schedule, wouldn’t He put seeking the lost into that schedule?
Diagnostic questions: Do you connect with people outside of your home and work? Are they all Christians? Do you come into regular contact and build relationships with people outside your circles? If you do, have you shared what you think about Jesus? Have you asked them what they think about Jesus? Is this big rock in your weekly schedule?
Big Rock #2: Reaching out to the Marginalized
The second priority that Jesus has that we might not is caring for the marginalized. “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Luke 14:12-14a). Jesus wants us to not simply reach out to our friends. He wants those whom others might forget to be on our priority list.
The Apostle James captured this sentiment well. He said, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). If we are going to have our religion be something that God likes, then we have to make care of the marginalized part of it. The early church recognized this, and Christians generally have made this a high priority.
All this reflects the way that God is described throughout the Scriptures. Moses writes in Deuteronomy, “[God] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” This should be reflected in our hearts and in our priorities. “And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (10:19).
What does this look like? We should have time not only for those who are like us but also for those who are different from us. We should have a heart that reaches out to those around us regardless of where they come from. One way we do it is by putting this big rock into our schedule. Who are the marginalized people you know or could know? Do you have reaching out to them in your week somewhere? This is one of those priorities that God has but sometimes we do not.
Conclusion
Loving God means making His priorities ours. This includes many things, but telling people about Jesus and reaching out to the marginalized are two of the most important. We may fear that if we do this, then we will be completely overwhelmed. However, this is not the case. If we put these big rocks in first, we will find that we can put the other things we need to do into the jar without much problem. You just have to know Jesus’ priorities and your other priorities and make sure they are in your schedule.