Challenged To The Core - Kathi Brixey

It is so beautiful to watch the fall foliage and feel the crispness in the air each morning. Living in the mountains has been such a blessing. However, it also presents a whole new set of responsibilities as well. Now we winterize the decks by putting away outdoor furniture and plants that won’t do well in freezing temperatures. There are things that must be checked like the generator and a sufficient supply of gas; products to keep on hand to sprinkle on icy walkways and enough wood to carry us through until spring. An area to leave wet or snowy clothes and shoes, even the four wheel drive has to be restocked with emergency supplies (chains, shovel, gloves, coats, etc.) All these things have their time and priority in our life. Even though they are seasonal they still must take place. So it is in all areas of our life. When you are first married there is a time of gathering new things to create a home, to establish a sense of “ours” no longer yours and mine. Then when children arrive on the scene there are more things that need attention, like clothes, additional beds, toys, etc. This continues through life until the children start leaving for college and we begin to down size back to just two again. Through each season of our lives there is a process of “getting organized” so that we can maintain our sanity. Now, I know that not everyone functions the same, but we all have our own way through this process.

For most women this is called nesting. We do it when we first marry, then again just before each of our children are born. After our children leave for college we sometimes clean out their room and freshen things up as a way to start letting them go. These seasons are often filled with laughter and tears. Each of these seasons of life mandate their own nesting routine. These routines are a great time to seek God’s will as well as His comfort no matter what the event that brought on the need to nest.

We are all built differently emotionally. However, I have noticed that when we deal with stress in our lives we all seek out some sense of order in our world. Take for instance “window shopping,” why do we do that. Could it be that when we meander through a store everything is orderly unlike the chaos we have created for ourselves? Things are paired and stacked nice and neat. There is control and no clutter. After walking around the stores for a while we start to calm down and begin to think more rationally. If a store’s organization can calm us down why then don’t we bring that home? Perhaps taking the time to get our house in order and more importantly our spiritual house in order should be this falls first priority. When we keep the Lord as our first priority everything else seems to fall into place. God is so good! In Proverbs 3:5-6 it tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Why not try something new this season and give Him first place in your life and just watch what He can and will do in your life.

I have discovered in my own life that as I enter a new season I am drawn more and more to a routine of getting organized to bring clarity to that time. I also have found that when I’m walking through that event I ask the Lord to help me navigate the road, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The older I get the wiser this seems to me. Not only do I feel better after getting organized but my husband appreciates the fact that I tend to throw or give away a lot of stuff. Go figure, less clutter to clean. It has been fun watching our daughter and son-in-love start the process of setting up house now that they are married. With the enjoyment comes some heart pangs as well, she is a wife now not just our daughter. They are in a new season of their life together. As we have watched our children enter into adulthood and start families of their own we can’t help question whether or not we have raised them to walk into life fully prepared. They will surely face many difficulties in life, but we know that they all love the Lord and seek to serve in Him in their life. He will be sufficient for them.

So what benefits come from getting organized? Each of us will discover different ones according to how we go about getting organized. The process is the same however, it takes discipline and desire! Are you up to the challenge of organizing yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually? I hope so; it’s like rewarding yourself for a job well done. Who doesn’t like looking around and seeing everything in order, inside your home and heart, realizing you’re walking closer than ever to your Heavenly Father? As you “check your pulse” this week look around and see what areas could use some attention. Roll-up those sleeves and start getting organized, you can do it!