Always room for more?




There's a story of a lecturer who filled a glass jar with rocks.
"Is it full?" he asked the students.
"Yes", they replied.
Then he poured gravel into the jar. "Is it full?
Then sand.
Then water.
"What do we learn from this?" he asked.
"No matter how full your life, there's always room for more", said the students.
"No", was the lecturer's response. "What you learn is if you don't put the rocks in first, you'll never get them in."

 I'm working on what are the "rocks" that I need to put in my life.  I've recently retired from being a full time paid vicar. As a retired person it's very easy to fill the jar up with all sorts of stuff and be busy, but I'm working on what are the things that need to go in first. Family clearly is a rock. I've been working with the local (unretired!) vicar to see how my presence and role in the church will be a help not a divisive distraction.  There are one or two other thoughts as to what those rocks might be.

 One is whether there is value in offering reflections from a faith perspective on what is current in rural life. That's what this blog, if I can get the technology right, is intended to do. What, for example, might a faith perspective have to say about the Labour Party's recent document "Land for the Many"  (I've read it and intend to put some thoughts on this blog over the next few days) or what insights might faith offer to the recent furore about shot gun licenses (though that's a bit old so I probably will leave that alone).

 So, if you have an interest in rural life in the UK and what Christian faith has to offer then I hope you will find this helpful. If there are topics you think need consideration then do say.              

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