When God is First, Everything Fits

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Posted by: Kathy from Mornings | Monday, July 7th, 2025 (12:00am)

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.—Matthew 6:33 

A few years ago I saw an illustration with a jar, a few big rocks, a few medium rocks, a bowl of pebbles, and sand on a table. If you put the sand and pebbles first then try to pack on the larger rocks last, they won’t all fit in the jar. However, if you start with the big rocks, then add the medium ones and then pour in the pebbles and sand, somehow they all fit. It’s kind of a magic trick of sorts. This visual always stuck with me as a reminder of how to prioritize.   

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God (first) and (then) to love your neighbor as yourself. It has to be in THIS order because if we are to love others (and do it well), we have to draw it from the only source that never runs out, right?  

So, think of God as the biggest rock. When you start your day seeking HIM and HIS will through scripture and praying, He gives you mental clarity, peace in your soul, courage, direction, and wisdom for the tasks ahead. He’ll give weight to the jar and become the foundation for everything else.   

Next, give your attention to those other large rocks. They represent the people in your life like your spouse, your children, your extended family, your friends, and other relationships through church or work. These “rocks” are precious and important to both you and God. He gave you these good things and wants you to prioritize them, but not in place of or before God. Even good things, important things, will be off balance when they are misarranged…things will literally feel “out of order."

Next, you’re ready for the medium-sized rocks. These things are important, but they are temporary, not eternal (basically, they’re not going to Heaven with you). Our jobs, our health, where to go to college, where to live, where to go to church, and (one of MY biggest daily concerns) our finances come next. Ever notice how anxious these rocks make us? It could be that they are resting on a foundation that can't handle the weight.

Lastly, you’ve got the pebbles and the sand, which are those little decisions that we make a million times each day. You know, those things that have a tendency to keep the brain occupied, especially right at bedtime (can anyone relate?). What do I need at the grocery store? Did I pick up that card for my friend? What on earth am I going to wear tomorrow? We probably make these decisions the most, but they have the least impact on our lives. After all, it doesn’t really matter if I wear the white shirt rather than the yellow shirt. We have a tendency to put too much importance on them. But if we keep the proper perspective as you pour them in, they settle into the existing spaces in a balanced way throughout the rest of your "jar" (the "jar" is your life, if you haven’t figured out the analogy yet!).    

How are things “fitting” lately? Do you feel overwhelmed and incapable of doing all of the things that have been handed to you? Is it all just making you feel like an off-balanced, crazy mess?  It could just be that your jar needs to be repacked in the right order. If we keep God as the foundation of the jar, the “Big Rock” that everything else will fit around, He will order our steps. He will show us what our priorities should be, and we’ll see how everything that matters will fall into place. 

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