[Arabian myth:] A horseman was riding across the desert at night, and as he went through a dried-up riverbed a voice out of the darkness commanded him to halt and dismount, which he did. Then the voice told him to fill his pockets with the pebbles at his feet, which he did. And then the voice told him to remount and ride on, which he did. As he rode out through the darkness, the voice said to him, ‘At sunrise you will be both sad and glad.” At sunrise he looked in his pockets and found that the pebbles he had picked up were diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls. He was very glad and very sad. He was very glad that he had taken as many as he had and he was very sad that he had not taken a lot more.
Sterling W. Sill
Today, in typical Monday fashion, I have great plans to make the best use of my time this week. I want to look back on the week, full of pebble-like tasks, and see that I am a little better than last week in my prayers; that I have learned a difficult section of a violin piece; that I have reached out to a handful of sisters in a meaningful way; and that I have eaten a little more quinoa and a lot less sugar. Mondays are so full of promise. Sunday will come, and my pockets won’t be as full as I hoped. However, Sundays are the day that I have the strongest reminder that it’s not about how many pebbles I collect; it’s who I am becoming with Christ’s help–and the difference I can make to others– as I use the hours I am given.