The other day my husband told me that I may not be writing in the way people expect. I am not showing how to clean out a drawer (which I may do one day), but I show people how to think organized.
That got me, well . . . umm . . . thinking.
For me, being organized begins with how I think about things. So much of our behavior starts with our thinking. If our thinking is going in the right direction, then we will, sometimes slowly, become organized.
One of my favorite proverbs says, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
Think about it. We all want abundant crops. We all want to succeed. We all want to be organized so we can do the things we are called to do.
Along with that comes the mess. Without the ox working the field, we won’t have crops, but if you have even one ox living in your barn, you will have to clean up occasionally.
For example, I want to feed my family. That’s my abundant crop, my goal.
To do that I need a plan. That’s my oxen.
By the strength of my system, I can feed my family well: plan meals, make a list, create a budget, go grocery shopping, put the food away, cook the meals, and clean up afterwards.
But with my system comes the mess.
I actually have to look for meals to make, write down what I need to buy, figure out how much money I have to spend, fight the traffic and crowds to get the food, drag it all in, and then when the time comes cook the meal and of course, clean up.
Thinking organized means acknowledging that life is messy and can get complicated but that’s okay.
Being organized and taking care of your system helps you get it done.
So, the next time you are waiting in line at the grocery store, think ‘abundant crops’ and think about how you can strengthen your ‘oxen,’ and know that you will have to face cleaning the ‘manger.’
And that’s okay.