Practical Information For Today's Christian Woman

Awhile back, I wrote an article on the benefits of an organized home. Well, I have to confess that I let it slip. For several months I lost control of my house and clutter prevailed.

After my son missed an event because of a misplaced paper, I finally said, “enough is enough”- and by the end of the day, I had everything in it’s place.

Clutter may not effect you like it does me but after having a fresh taste of messiness versus neatness, I am once again willing to pay the price.

Some of the things I noticed:

It seems like I have much more time.

I am more focused. It’s easier to concentrate on the tasks I am working on.

You have probably heard the saying “change effects change,” well, now that my house is clean again, I have started decorating my kitchen.

I admit I may be a bit too compulsive. I have gotten quite the looks from my husband when he has returned to his chair only to find that his glass of water has disappeared or the fork he was eating with has mysteriously ended up in the dishwasher.

But anyway, my quest for an orderly existence continues. If your life seems topsy turvy, you may want to give it a try.

Tips on how to have an organized home.

Once you discover your God-given calling, you will need to be diligent in order to stay focused. In the past few years, I have found myself getting sidetracked again and again.  Here are some of the things that can distract you from your goals.

New opportunities- It’s called “the bright, shiny object syndrome.” Often it comes in the form of a new business venture or a higher paying job that requires so much time and energy that you have nothing left to invest in your dream.

Instead of allowing your emotions to get caught up in the moment, ask yourself, “How is this going to help me achieve my goals?”

Thoughts of doubt- Thoughts like,  “Am I really supposed to do this? or “I am not qualified,” or  “My aunt said it was a dumb idea and she’s probably right.”

The things that money will buy.  It may be a bigger house, a new car, or the best kitchen cabinets on the market. There is nothing wrong with having these things, but if you have to get a second or third job to pay for them or spend so much time taking care of them that your dream gets put on the back burner-you may want to rethink your purchases.

The TV or Internet.  How easy it is to sit in front of the television and let it entertain you or surf the Internet-going from website to website with no particular purpose in mind. Again, there is nothing wrong with these things, the problem comes when you are wasting hour after hour of precious time that could be spent doing things to move you closer to your dreams.

This year make the decision to cut down on or get rid of the things in your life that are hindering you from reaching your goals.  As it says in Hebrews 12:1 (LT version) let us get rid of everything that keeps us from moving full steam ahead on the path that is set before us.

With the new year right around the corner, many people are writing out their new years resolutions.  While I have found that making new years resolutions don’t work for me, I do think it is a good time to evaluate my life, set new goals and realign old ones.

Challenge yourself but be realistic.  If you are taking care of a family and a house and working at a job 20 hours a week, you probably won’t do well to set a goal to work on your business 5 hours a day.

Write out your primary goals and break them into smaller achievable goals.  For example if your goal is to write a book on organization,  some of your sub goals would be to research your topic, and write your first draft and find someone to edit the book.

I find that I am much more apt to read my goals regularly if they are typed or written out neatly.  If they are jotted down on a crumpled up piece of paper, I don’t usually ever look at them again.

Some of your old goals may need to be tweaked or eliminated to line up with your vision for this new year. For example, perhaps one of your goals was to start taking classes so you could get a job in the medical field but after praying about it, you decide this is not a good idea-so this goal can be taken off your list.

Here lately I have been studying (and have gotten quite excited about) Isaiah 54:14.

In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt  not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Here are my thoughts on this verse.

Being established in righteousness means I know who I am in Christ. I know my rights and privileges. I am in right standing with God.

I am far from oppression because I do not fear. The reason I do not fear is because I am grounded in God’s word. I know He is taking care of me.

The devil comes to kill, steal and destroy in our lives but he can’t hurt us if we refuse to fear him.

Terror (destruction, ruin, dismay or object of terror) will not come near me. That would include tornadoes, cancer and other destructive diseases, car wrecks, house fires, terrorist attacks etc.

Grab a hold of this verse and believe it. Get established in righteousness and believe God to keep you and your household safe.