Its not what you put in your Jar of life, but what goes FIRST!

Alrighty... i haven't posted anything up for a while because i've been kinda busy. Not with school work... OK.... for the parents and family reading... i did do some reading ;) but there are also other things keeping me busy, like being on the worship team for CCF, leading a Discipleship group, ICE HOCKEY!!!! and just chilling with some friends just to catch up. For those who know me, i like to keep myself busy busy! That can be good or it can be bad. Good in the sense that I enjoy all these things and wouldnt give them up for the world! and bad in the sense that i can be so busy.. i wont have time for myself or for God, but anywho here's a little story (kinda long sorry... it makes my blog longer than it actually is)

"When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Coffees.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two coffees from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed..
'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else---the small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Spend time with your children.
Spend time with your parents.
Visit with grandparents.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your spouse out to dinner.
Play another 18. (For those non sporty people.. this means 18 holes of Golf on a golf course)
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'
The Coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Coffees with a friend.
LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS... ...IT'S LEARNING HOW
TO DANCE IN THE RAIN !"

Yup This story is about Prioritizing and just generally live out your life to the fullest and dont let the sad times keep you down. A lot of people complain that they re always so busy with no time to do anything and that they hate school or work because it takes up so much of their day... but they end up slacking off in between anyways!. I think i even heard one of my friends say that they dont like sleep cause it takes up most of the night haha ... personally i like my sleep, so for me its one of my golf balls! But people get so caught up with all the sand in their life that they dont have the time to put the golf balls first!

Its all priorities.. no matter what stage you are at in your life.. Whether you re in school, working or even retired, make sure you take care and treasure your golf balls because those are the things that make your life worth living!

And for those who are always like.. Jason... why do you always have time to go out and chill with your friends... those are the times i can fit in my coffees just to catch up or even just listen to a friend in need... no matter how busy your life is.. you can always fill the jar with a couple coffees before it really gets full!

Moral of the story... no matter how busy or busily miserable (yes i believe i just invented a word..) you are.. remember that you MUST learn to prioritize your golf balls first and that you will still have enough room to fit in a couple coffees no matter how many pebbles and sand you throw into your JAR! Only then can you have a, although full, awesome and amazing life! Think about it... you have so many years of your life left ahead of you... why waste it filling it up with sand?

You got your golf ball, pebbles and sand.... now MAKE YOUR MOVE!

And another year passes by

So 2009 has come and gone and now its 2010... Wait... 2010 already? haha it just feels like time flies by quicker the older you get. I swear it only sunk in that i had turned 21 a couple minutes after the countdown... probably because of exams or maybe im just that slow haha. Who knows.. but 2009 has been one of the best years i've ever had, from the good times and bad times, i feel like i've experienced and learned so much this year. Im not only talking about learning about things but to actually go and live life to the fullest and attempt to step out of my comfort zone

The highlight of 2009 will have to be the Winter and fall retreats with UWCCF... i think those were definitely life changers.. (you can ask me about them in person if you want, i like to tell stories)

Because of these retreats i think i have a totally new perspective on life and what my purpose is... well maybe for the near future, but generally i think i have a good idea what i can do, what i need to do, what i need to stay away from and just overall be joyful!

I mean, bad things happen to everyone at some point in their life, and even many times, but why dwell on those bad times? While you re complaining, being emo, being antisocial, etc, you can use that time to focus on the positives and enjoy life! especially when our time here on Earth is very limited... maybe way more limited than we sometimes thing. So why not go out and laugh, play, and just just be joyful?

I really need to thank all my friends and family for getting me through the tough times this year, and there was quite a bit of them. And also for celebrating the Good times with me. Its such a blessing to have such a great supportive group of friends and family around me and there are no words to explain how thankful i am of them

I also want to thank my 2 brothers in Christ, one my mentor and a good friend who has helped me grown so much spiritually through our discipleship group and also being in a leadership role for CCF, i don't think i would have become the person i am right now without their guidance and support. Thanks guys!

I want to thank all of the new friends i've met this year, listening to their stories, getting to know them, and just chilling... its been great meeting so many cool people this year!

And theres also my softball team... It was probably the most fun and chill season i've had with CCSA just cause of the how easy it was to coach these guys and girls. I think they've taught me so much more about myself as a coach than i taught them..... of course i taught them a lot of stuff about softball... you know what i mean

So how do i rate how 2009 went? even with the tough times i would still give it 11/10 just because there were so many more good times than bad ones. Not only that, but i feel like my spiritual walk has grown exponentially and ive done so many things that I never would have thought i would be doing just a year ago! (stepping out of the comfort Zone)

I guess now its 2010, i wonder what the future holds? But i just really want my spiritual growth to grow like it did in 09 because no matter how much i grow, i dont think i can know enough about God. I mean when you look at any type of relationship you have, you just keep learning new things about that person, only if you seek it. Its the same thing when developing your personal relationship with God... ONLY IF YOU SEEK IT... so im hoping to just keep seeking, constantly
Then theres optometry... still waiting on whether i get accepted or not... i'll most likely know early march-ish.. soo fingers crossed
I mean theres no way to know what to expect in the upcoming future
In a mans heart he determines his course, but the lord determines his steps... proverbs 16:9
I mean we can choose what we want to do and each choice has its own consequence, but sometimes we forget that with every step we take, God is there to help us through tough times and God is there to celebrate the good times, sooo hopefully i don't forget that along the way!

So Hopefully 2010 will be just as good or even better than 2009, but either way, I just have to focus on the positive things in life... and that will help carry me through the year. Thats pretty funny because today, the first day of 2010, i had dinner at my grandparents' house and we were looking through old photo albums of when i was 1 and 2, and in every picture i had a big smile on my face (there was a lot of them too cause im the first born on my moms side! yup im that special haha), so if you re wondering why i seem like a joyful guy, i guess i was just born like that.... a happy kid all grown up and ready to live out 2010.... PS... i was a pretty cute baby too!! HAHA