I posted something short earlier, but God’s been nudging me to come back and invite you to be part of something He’s laid on my heart.
- If you knew that having more order in your home would bring more order to your world – freeing up your time, emotions, thougths and spiritual gifts to do what God’s called you to do – would you make it a priority?
- If you knew it was actually possible, would you take some small steps towards getting and staying organized?
After posting confessions of my cluttered counter tops, closets and cabinets, I worked for a few hours on the mess in my nest. And, I feel like I’ve lost 10 mental pounds! The feeling of freedom that followed my progress is amazing. I promise to post photos later this week of my “before and after.”
Today God reminded me of 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” In the context of this verse, Paul is talking about order in the church. But in the context of our lives this truth also applies.
Order is part of God’s character and peace is the promised fruit of His spirit.
Our longing for order and peace is woven into our souls because we are created in God’s likeness. Our spirits long for a lack of confusion. The Holy Spirit has been showing me since last week that this is a big deal. We care about our homes and want to be good managers of our piles and files. As I read your challenges and honestly assessed how I’ve been feeling about mine, I sensed that our messes are not only piling up – they are weighing us down. Consider this:
- When you see your organizationally challenged areas, do you feel a sense of peace or defeat? Do you get all irritated inside?
- Does your life start to feel out of control when you think about what you need to do to get organized but feel like you have no time to do it?
Can I encourage you to give yourself the gift of bringing a little order to your world. A little peace to your heart and home. I want to gather some girlfriends to encourage and pray for each other this week, and commit together to tackle one of our organizational challenges. Will you join me?
And because we all need some incentive, I’m giving away another copy of Karen’s book “The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized”, and some organizational pretties!
If you want to join in this quest, click on the word “Comments” at the end of this post and tell me what one area will you give an hour or so to this week. Your commitment will qualify you for the give-away. And will you pray for the person who leaves a comment right before yours? I’ll leave the first one. Then for a second chance to win, click here and get the encouragement you need to finish what you start.
On Friday, I have another P31 friend and author who is writing a book called, “I Used to Be So Organized” who is going to stop by to encourage, pray for and help us with some very practical ideas! And I’m working on having my before & after photos up then, too.
I have a few places in my sidebar where you can stay connected via Google connect or Facebook, and sign up for email updates. By the way, I love having you along!
Incoming mail and going thru it in detail. I have let some pile up into disorder. Paper sorting would be mine.
Count me in. I'm committed to finishing de-cluttering my garage, and my kitchen counters towering with papers just begging to be recycled, etc.
Praying for my fellow sisters united in our struggles!
This is an amazing answer to prayer. There are so many great "getting organized" tips on the cover of just about any magazine. However, they fail to mention what you did. It is such a distraction on our walk with the Lord and service to others. I feel like I've been stuck in a rut for years. My pastor says a rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out. I'm climbing out! I keep setting goals, and never seem to move past the finish line. It isn't just the mess, it's what's causing the mess too. I could use a good strong dose of self discipline. I also could use a little managerial training. Some days I just don't know how to hold it all together with 5 kids. Now, my husband and I are expecting again, and I don't want to continue on the same cycle. I want to figure it out so I can be a good witness…wife and mother. Being disorganized is aweful. I'm committing to a few hours. I don't know where I'll work, but I'm committing to stay with the same task, and not get distracted and move on to another before the one I'm working on is done.
I appreciate your message on "Getting & Staying Organized". I definitely know that material stuff can and does weigh me down. It hinders me from being able to really moving forward like I want and need to do for myself and for God. I plan on cleaning and organizing my car as much as possible. I have a lot of clutter in there right now. However, it's not as much as it was previously which is definitely good. At least, I have made some progress. I just want and need to make even more though. Thanks for the encouragement!
Well it's the end of the week and I just got home from travel….so the hour I will spend is on putting things away and washing clothes….
I agree heartily with your statement about freeing up time/energy/space with less clutter….I am working on trying to SIMPLIFY my life so that I have time to do what is important…Time is such a precious commodity its a shame to waste it on "stuff"….
God bless you!
If you could see the laundry, the papers, and so forth surrounding me right now – you would know the commitment I desire, but am overwhelmed. I organized my pantry and now go stand and look at and feel at peace. I would love that in my home.
Nicole's post was right before mine. I am already praying for her and the peace she seeks after such a blow. I do not even want to imagine what she is going through. I pray she is surrounded in love, peace, and hope.
In His hands,
Cindy Q
oh I need this soooooo much. I recently ended a pregnancy with a C-section & then the death of my baby girl :0(. You can probably imagine that between pregnancy, C-section & everything else my house has gotten so cluttered & just out of control & it stresses me out so much but I am too overwhelmed to even know where to start. This book sounds like just what I need. My goal this week is to spend an hour just trying to get something, ANYTHING, caught up.
Again….here's my email address
brendaschiesser at gmail.com
I don't know why it's not on there.
Brenda
I am committing to cleaning off the "hot spots" in our den where all of the piles grow!!
Our master bedroom is our "catch-all" room when people come over. I want to get a handle on that room first so I have the encouragement to tackle the really big mess…our home office. It is truly a fire hazard with papers all over.
Praying for that peace!
I'd love to have my dining room table back. It has become my desk, table, mail bin…need I go on.
I made huge progress this summer, but since college is back in session; I have lost my muscle.
Carla ^, I prayed for you!
I'll commit to my desk area. I moved it to the living room area thinking I would keep it neat since it would be in a more visible area. Nope…didn't happen.
I feel overwhelmed and a sense of failure every time I go in our playroom/homeschool room, especially since it should be our homeschool room. I'd love the encouragement and prayers of support to keep "chugging away" at getting the room organized in a way that we can maintain it. My prayers for any of you who also struggle with areas that need organizing!
It's funny I stumbled across you on the Proverbs 31 fb feed tonight. We are in the midst of building a new home and are renting a small one that lately has been more of a stopping point than a home. The clutter from dropping and running from one place to another has taken it's toll. I was actually thankful for the rain today so that I could work on some of my piles. You are right about disorder breeding a lack of peace. I am hoping to make some more progress tomorrow and plan to clean off and organize a table in our basement that is pile with scrapbook supplies (that I never have time for). I got a good deal on a rolling storage case for them this spring and still have not "gotten around" to storing it all. Wish me luck… hoping to move in about a month and I want to learn to keep a clutter free home so that it can be a place of peace for all of us and a welcome retreat for friends and family.
Oh choices choices! Where do I begin? I am going to commit to master bedroom and bath room. For some reason these two rooms seem to catch all the leftover "stuff".
I'm also committing to going through the pile of papers on my counter top, as well as all of my kid's school papers that tend to turn up on my kitchen table. This is an issue I've dealt with for a long time. I've organized certain areas of my life, but get overwhelmed when thinking of organizing every area. This is awesome that we can come together and support each other through this!
How "funny"/divine you posted this!!! One of my dear friends blessed me today with the gift of her time (an early birthday present). My home office/disaster area was absolutely horrible, and we worked from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. until it was DONE! We only stopped to eat lunch, and amazingly, the room looks incredible!!! I only have 3 boxes of things to put away (that don't belong in the office), and I will have a HUGE chunk of my house organized! Praise the Lord for my friend, who was so willing to give me her time!!!
hehe Jenn, looks like we are tackling the same closet, I didn't read your comment til after I posted mine, definitely praying for you.
…the linen closet. This whole thing has weighed on my for a number of years at this point. I want my home to be a haven for those I love, especially my husband and it is not. Not like what you see on tv – but still TOO MUCH STUFF.
I am in too. I will tackle the bathroom closet that is packed to the gills with 'stuff'! Thanks for the encouragement to go forward!! I also commit to pray for the one above!! 🙂 🙂
the "mail center" (which is currently the "everything that doesn't have a place center") is my area to tackle!
I will organize my stack of bills and create a system to no longer have late payments. The clutter has put a financial and stressful burden on the family
laundry
and clutter
and walking in the door and droping EVERYTHING in a pile two feet from the door, in the corner between the door and the little alley kitchen – whew small houses make it hard to find places for things!
I am committed to getting my kitchen organized. I started on it yesterday and got a few drawers & cupboards organized, got rid of expired canned goods, got all the dishes done, the floor scrubbed & the table cleaned off. I still have several more cupboards to clean out & organize. I am committed to seeing this project through until it's completed.
It almost seems like you've been reading my mental journal. We spent a week in a condo this summer and I felt such indescribable peace and joy with the simplicity of our daily routine. I really felt that God was calling me to clean out my excess stuff at home. I went at it full speed. The master closet as well as the linen closet in the master bath are well organized. But then I made the mistake of taking on two organizational projects at once, got overwhelmed and haven't had the heart to go at it again. This was exactly the encouragement I needed to get started again. In fact, I think I'll go spend in hour in my worst spot right now. The laundry room is the dumping ground for everyone as they come and go from the house. It is also the storage space for my crafting supplies. OK, prayer first and then action. Thank you, Renee!
Oh my – I was definitely led here! Thank you, Renee, for your honesty! I have baskets, folders, accordian folders, binders, file cabinets, etc. You name it, I have bought it in my quest to get organized. I commit to spend an hour in my kitchen organizing all the piles of papers/junk on the counter, tables & in the infamous junk drawer!
My desk. My work space is getting smaller and smaller. And we won't mention the area around my desk. 🙁
I am committing to get things off the kitchen counter (our office is in the kitchen) and organized into a cupboard above or our file cabinet.
I'm committing to cleaning off the piles that accumulate on my desk and the floor of my office for one hour first thing tomorrow morning!
Praying…for each of us to be encouraging to the other and be freed from all this mess.
Hmmm . . . where to start? I would say the two least organized areas in my house are the kids' homework area, and my office. Neither one has really been touched in about 6 months- ugh! Definitely going to give each one an hour this week, but I'm afraid that will only scratch the surface.
I'm committing to going through the clutter in my bedroom, mostly the dresser and desk. I am feeling extremely weighed down with the disorganization of our home since we moved, so I am definitely hoping for a sense of peace!
How TIMELY! What a blessing for me to read this today….we're facing a huge challenge as we prepare to move and leave our old nest. I'm committing atleast an hour tomorrow morning to my kitchen — dishes, cleaning cabinets, cleaning the fridge and mopping ALL need to be done. Eek!
Thanks for the much needed encouragement Renee and my prayer buddies.
P.S. RaeRae, I'm praying for your home to become a home again after such a devasting event. I'm so glad you're ok. I'm so sorry you had to go thru that. I pray God would return to you ten times, but in an orderly fashion(!), what you may have lost.
I will spend time on my guest/sewing room. I am almost finished after several years of taking care of my Mom before she died in Feb. and not having time to be the organized and sane person I use to be. Dear Lord, please be with the person who posted before me…..encourage her and guide her in the area of her need. In Your sweet name, I pray, Amen.
Oh my gosh. Have you been reading my diary?! I feel like God just plucked me up and put you right in my path today. I was convicted by my messy house today when my teen said he was just bummed because of how messy the house was. I was just feeling bad…then I found this "accidentally!" I've never even been to this site before! GO GOD!!!!! He is SO good to mind even the tiny details….the ones that drag me down. 🙁 So tonight I start. I will be boxing up the piles of "I Want To Scrap This" papers and pictures and putting them into one large tub to be organized as I scrap, one handful at a time. In between running a ministry for pregnant, homeless women, subbing so we can pay the electric bill and being enslaved as a band parent (lol), I have let these areas slide. I didn't realize how much it was affecting my family til today. And then God provided the answer thru you. THANK you from the bottom of my heart for listening and following His call to you. Count me in!!
I am committing to my bedroom. We had a kitchen fire about three and a half weeks ago. Alot of damage, mostly smoke. We lost alot of furniture and clothes. So with washing many times to salvage what I could, my room has been a catch-all. I was de-cluttering before the fire, now it has been a have to get rid of stuff. It has been hard with all the stuff I have held onto through the years.BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!! I will keep everyone involved in organizing in my prayers. Thanks so much for all the encouragement you have already given us.
I am going to start in my bedroom. That room seems to be the "catch all" and it is past out of control. I feel like my bedroom should be sacred but instead I get heavy when I walk through that door. I am overwhelmed and really don't know where to start but I am ready to get it under control!
My craft area. It's exploded and I need to get it under control. Also want to make a chore list so the rest of the family can help out by taking care of their personal areas.
Thank you for the motivation and encouragement of this challenge. In my hour, I will tackle the home office/desk I share with my husband. This is where I usually do my devotions/bible time. I just know that with the absence of all the piles of papers and other clutter I will be less distracted and more focused on spending time with my Lord. My husband will also be blessed by this task as he will have more space to actually use "his desk" he so graciously offered to share with me.
I have several areas that need work but right now I'm going to focus on the desk and shelves around it. I have already cleaned my closet so I feel pretty good about that but it is so hard to remain motivated and "stuff" seems to multiply!! I want to be FREE of stuff!!
My mess has taken me captive for way too long! I am ready to be free of the stress that has become a member of my home. I owe it to my husband, daughter, and myself to become a filer and not a piler. I actully have been working on it this week. Sad the number of hours that I have had to waste trying to get things in order, if I had only been more organized I could have used them to play with my daughter. The stress is creeping in my marriage. I am committing to spend at least one hour per day (or whatever it takes) until all of the things are filed, shredded, or trashed!
I am praying for all those before me. Ladies, I would love to say that there is only one area of my nest, but it seems that since I have started raising my Grandchildren my whole nest is a mess. The more I look at the mess around me the more I see the mess on the inside. I am committing to one room at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time. Beginning with my desk, and moving on from there. Thank You so much for the encouraging words.
mmm … wow, I have struggled with clutter for quite a while and am certain that it would be so freeing for myself and my children to rid ourselves of 90% of all the 'stuff' we have. Papers are my nemesis. I know it clutters my mind, which of course takes our minds off of God … which is exactly opposite of what we desire. I can assure you that my cell group and all the people from our church family who have helped us to move all the 'stuff' twice now would happily agree that we would gladly welcome tips to help with getting anything essential filed … and dumping all the rest. I also want to help my children learn the value of sharing with others – and of giving away much of what we have – simplifying, living on less – and sacrificial giving. I know God wants this for us. Very, very, very interested in checking out your book!
I am committing to the pile of papers that has been living on the end of my kitchen table WAY too long! And I will be praying for Sherry, too!
Renee,
I became disabled in 1993 and in searching for a 'drug' to fill the void of loneliness and grief, I turned to playing games on the internet. So, in short, my computer desk area is a collison course for snacks, pens, meds, phone, papers galore and junk. Somehow my desk looks just like the inside of my brain, crazy and confused, overwhelmed and depressed. I want to clear the clutter and dust the mounds of crumbs and crap, so I can breathe easier. Isn't funny how what surrounds us usually defines us?
Getting rid of the stacks and piles around my house has been my goal for months now. I have made progress, but not enough. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Yes, I will continue to tackle these areas, and I will pray for the person who commented before me. God bless all of us!!