Faithfull Utterances: Focused on the Rock

By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew

Years ago, I remember hearing this story: “An instructor once stood up before his class with a large empty mayonnaise jar. He filled the jar to the top with large rocks and asked his students if the jar was full. The students said that yes, the jar was indeed full. He then added small pebbles to the jar and gave the jar a bit of a shake so the pebbles could disperse themselves among the larger rocks. Then he asked again, “Is the jar full now?” 

The students agreed that the jar was still full. The professor then poured sand into the jar to fill up any remaining empty space. The students then agreed that the jar was completely full.” The professor went on to explain what the jar represents in our lives. The rocks represent the important things in our lives like family and faith. The pebbles are the things that we want but could live without. These are things that are important but not critical like your car or eating at restaurants. 

The sand is the filler. Things like watching television, spending time on Instagram or Facebook–those things that eat away at our time. As we go through this unchartered territory, we are coming to a number of realizations:

• Life is precious and a gift every day.

• We’ve taken a lot of things for granted always assuming they would be there.

• Some priorities that were important in our lives have now changed and we see that they have not served us well…

The rocks in our life are critical. They are our stability. A life that is meaningful is filled with relationships and a connection to our purpose. We must focus on those rocks. More importantly, in this celebration of Easter, we must look to the cornerstone that God has given to us. Isaiah 28:16 says, “Therefore this says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” The Bible provides multiple references to the “rock.”

1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The most important rock in our lives is our faith. It serves as our foundation, our guide, our focus. No matter what we are going through, do not lose sight of the rock and our faith in Jesus. He is our rock! Stay focused on what is important, friends!