How Organized Are We?

Picture same-sized boxes lined up on the shelf with computer-printed labels identifying their contents. Neatly arranged books, by author, on a shelf. School supplies sorted meticulously in matching containers. Each child's papers efficiently hole-punched and filed into their own binders according to subject. Everything in its place. Now take a peak into the calendar to find the year-at-a-glance spread filled out with carefully thought out plans and academic goals to achieve. Flip to one month and find out which lessons you will be covering in any given month of the school year. And don't forget those blocks of holiday time. Those need to be organized into the schedule too, right? Now for the daily agenda. Time-slots are carefully filled in with what subject should be completed at what hour of the morning or afternoon. 

And then the household management side of things. The meal plan for the week is written up, alongside it the grocery list ready to be taken to the store--all within the budget that has been agreed upon by husband and wife. The chore list hangs on the fridge, each person allocated an age-appropriate household job for them to be responsible.

What I have described above could possibly be an organized person's dream. My personality certainly lends itself to think in systems like this and to strive for having everything planned out. But I've come to realize that life isn't all that predictable. While there's nothing exactly wrong with systems, and well-thought plans, too much structure is stifling. I've learned that being flexible is probably more important than being organized. That is, if you lean towards a more Type A Personality.

We should have a plan; be ready to change it.

Fevers and colds cannot be predicted. Personal vehicles break down--outside of the schedule. The dog makes a mess on the floor--requiring immediate attention and can't wait for the next break time. PMS extra bad one month?.... enough said.

The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

While I operate best within the boundaries and expectations of an organized plan, it's freeing to know that my plan is not the law. The LORD actually holds the bigger plan in His hands.

At the end of it all we are a living breathing family that loves each other. And our end goal is that we want to glorify God in what we're doing as we draw near to Him to discover His will for our lives.

I wouldn't balk at anyone's desire to organize their plans. By all means you need a framework! Meals don't just appear on the table; school doesn't magically get done. And that bathroom floor you've been avoiding.... it's not going to clean itself. However, I've found I can overplan, and that just sets me up for disappointment and stifles our lives. "How do we know the Bible is true?"  "Does it hurt when you die?"   "How do the doctors know if it's a boy or girl when you're born?" (LOL, yes this was a real question). I can't plan time for answering questions like these. Children want answers to these types of questions at the most inopportune times, and I must be ready.

As much as I think that I'm an organized person, one look into my chaotic purse and the truth will be known. :) Or, sitting down to do our read alouds we discover nobody has any idea where the book is. Or the weekend comes without any concrete plans for what's for dinner. However, the temptation to over plan, or over-organize could be linked back to my desire for control. I want control over my life, what we do in a day, and even how it gets done. All of these ideas and plans must be sifted through God's fingers and submitted to His ultimate sovereign will over our family's life.

On My Side Table

This has been our read aloud for the past couple of weeks. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze was a title from my sixth grader's reading list, so after finishing it, I moved onto The Door in the Wall to appeal more to my younger children. It's still a pretty difficult book, in that the dialogue tends to be more complicated and there are many vocabulary words to define for them. But the story is a gem. Set in medieval days, this young boy's parents leave on important business for the king. Quickly he falls ill and is left crippled while in the care of a dear friar. The story revolves around the boy developing a renewed sense of self-worth, wondering what his father will think of his crippled legs when they meet once more. The friar helps him identify the door in the wall: all of life's opportunities. If we would just walk through them despite our failings or perceived weaknesses.

I have finished reading Uprooting Anger and I know it will serve as an excellent resource in the future. I hadn't really considered myself to struggle with anger, but after reading about the different subtle ways anger infiltrates our hearts it was clear to me. Anger is definitely in my heart, and it isn't "righteous anger." Righteous anger does not lead to other sinful behaviour, and it's not driven by selfish motives. I understand better how I have used words like "annoyed" and "frustrated" to really just down-play the fact that I actually get angry about certain things in life.