The Jar of Marbles

A man  overheard a Ham radio broadcast one morning and what he overheard was some an advise an older gentleman was sharing:

"It's a shame you have to be away from home and your famliy so much," he said, "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own prirorities.  You see, one day I sat down and did a little arithmetic.  The average person lives 75 years, so I multipled 75 times 52 and came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays the average person has in a lifetime.

"it took me fifty-five years to think about this in any detail." he continued, "and by that time I had lived through 2,800 Saturdays.  I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of those left to enjoy."

He went on to explain that he had bought 1,000 marbles and put them in a clear container in his favorite work area at home.  "Every Saturday since then," he said, "I have taken one of the marbles out of the jar and thown it away.  I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.  There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help you get your priorities straight."

The older gentleman finished, "Now let me tell you one more thing before I sign off and take my lovely wife to breakfast.  This morning, I took my last marble out of the container.  I figure if I make it until next Saturday, then I have been given a little extra time."

We can't choose whether we will get any more time, but we can choose what we do with it.  If you are intentional with what with what you have, then you will make the most out of the time and talent that God gives you.