Of Potatoes and Priorities

Supplies: Two large glass jars and two trays.
Ingredients: We used medium potatoes and dry beans.

Method: There are several ways of going about this. Here is what worked for us.
First Jar: We filled the jar with potatoes, shaking it around a bit to make more space. Then we added dry beans, rotating the jar as necessary to get beans under and around, in every little nook and cranny, until the jar was full.

Second Jar: First, we used exactly the same volume of potatoes and beans as was in the first jar. But this time, we put the dry beans in first. Then we added the potatoes. Problem was, there wasn’t nearly enough room. Maybe half the potatoes fit in the jar.

The glass jar represents time – a day, a week, even a lifetime.
Each potato represents a priority. Priorities include work, studies, sleep, a deadline, an event, eating, exercise and such. For Christians, priorities include Sunday worship, prayer and Bible study. Priorities go in first.

The beans represent various tasks. These are things that need to be done, but can be fit in around the priorities. Grocery shopping, paying bills, car maintenance, laundry and running errands are examples. Of course, if a particular task isn’t taken care of, it can mushroom into a priority. For instance, not keeping gas in the vehicle will make getting fuel a major priority.

When we put tasks ahead of priorities, there won’t be room for the priorities. First things first.