I'm not a naturally organized person. While I do have some symptoms of a Type A personality (impatient, outspoken, semi-competitive, covertly insecure) I tend to be more Type B in other ways (forgetful, procrastinatory, undisciplined, disorderly).
Learning is dependent on one's ability to organize concepts and tie them together. In my head, I understand this. If only I could get this discipline to spill into my personal life.
Our checkbook is a mess, things are constantly strewn about the house. Dirty dishes seem to pile up for days. The bed only gets made for company. My unfinished craft projects are everywhere. Cookies and pizza are chosen over vegetables and chicken. Sleep takes precedence over exercise. The Bible takes a back seat to Facebook.
How is it possible to be so undisciplined in so many areas? Some days I think, "Will I ever change?"
I often think about organizing my life to be more efficient. God is a God of order, no? It would only make sense that the life of a Christian would reflect this. Order brings a sense of peace. There are plenty of people around me who seem to "have it all together." Why can I not just bootstrap it, buckle down, bite the bullet, and get 'er done?
There are some systems already in place. Books are alphabetical by author, music by artist, and movies by title. Kyle keeps his closet organized by type of clothing. Polos, button-downs, sweaters, sweatshirts, jeans, dress pants are all in order. My closet is organized by color (though I'm thinking of switching to Kyle's system). Purses, hats, and scarves are tricky. Of course, this only addresses visible order.
There are so many things in my life that need reorganized on the inside. Only God can do this. I used to be hopeless, knowing that I didn't have it in me to change. Now I understand. I was hoping in my own abilities to change, the abilities I knew I lacked. I now praise God that I'm not capable of doing any good on my own. He shows himself to be all the more glorious, mighty, and powerful.
I began this semester with the knowledge that I had no strength left. I have been a college student for a long time. I have been terribly fickle and indecisive about what I want to do. I prayed fervently that God would give me strength and change my weary heart. He's been teaching me to think really hard on how I organize information. My notes are very orderly. Everything has its place in my binder. God has blessed me with more discipline, diligence, and motivation than ever before.
I had prayed for this in the past, but perhaps not with such an overwhelming knowledge of the weight of what God had to do, what I could not. Seeing his strength in my weakness is a beautiful thing. It is a glimmer of hope, a reminder that God is capable to change me in other ways too...
3 comments:
Ok, I totally understand you Chelsea! I am constantly striving to be an organized person...and consistently fail. I'm great for about a week or two, and then slowly, it all falls apart. Sometimes I feel like my brain just doesn't work right!
But lately, I've had more success. And I seem to be praying this phrase a lot: "God, I now know I cannot do it on my own, so please give me strength..."
I guess this is a good thing. I used to thrive on independence, but it never worked. But I've learned that if I hand it over to God and let him take control, things seem to fall into place a lot easier. Even my organizational skills.
And a tip that has worked for me, don't try to organize your whole life all at once. Take one thing at a time. Believe it or not, I started with www.budgettracker.com to get my finances organized. I actually find fun in this organization. Then, I moved onto other things, one at a time. Before I move on to the next, I make sure I have the first down pat. And now I'm beginning to make progress!
P.S. I just started my "organization" about 3 months ago, so I've got a long road ahead of me, but at least I feel refreshed that I'm heading in a positive direction!
Chelsea, I'm in the same boat. Maybe we can be organizing buddies or something... I've thought about trying to use flylady.com after seeing so many people praising it on message boards, but that was when we were moving and then out came Baby Si and I hadn't thought about it too much since then.
I checked out the site once upon a time and don't think I'd follow it exactly (like getting dressed as soon as I got up or keeping my sink all shiny), but there are some things in the plan that could definitely be implemented at Team Abner's home (like dividing my home into zones and each day has a different zone to clean instead of doing all the cleaning at once).
I hear ya sister.
I don't have an organized bone in my body. I am all or nothing kinda girl, EVERTHING is either super organized or EVERYTHING is a total disaster (the latter being the more common).
But thank the Lord that we don't have to be perfect. Isn't that a beautiful testiment to our Heavenly Father.
"My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Cor. 12:9
(p.s. if you are any good excel, just making a simple spreadsheet for a budget was a really simple solution. Also instead of using the check book register we got a ledger book to keep track of our spending/checking account. This helps since everything is in one place.)
Post a Comment