Neat and Tidy

A Journal of Joy: Things that make my heart smile…

By Barbara Dahlgren

Neat and tidy! That’s how I like it! A place for everything and everything in its place! I like routine, order, organization. I like life to run smoothly and at an even keel. Don’t rock my boat. Don’t rattle my cage. Don’t shake my tambourine. Don’t upset my apple cart. Don’t rearrange my stuff. Don’t leave a mess in my pathway. And don’t keep me from marking off a number on my “to-do” list.

Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t neat and tidy. Unfortunately, they can be in our families. Unfortunately, they can be our co-workers. Unfortunately, they can be our boss. Unfortunately, they are all around us. I once said that lack of organization is killing me – not my lack of organization, but the lack in those who surround me.

And it isn’t just people who aren’t neat and tidy. Life is not neat and tidy either. It’s messy. Life is just one inconvenience after another. Dealing with life’s troubles can be stressful, time consuming, and overwhelming. I know that God is with me whether my crisis is big or small, but for some reason that doesn’t always give me as much comfort as it should.

Here’s the truth. Life is unpredictable. Major tragedies and minor inconveniences will always abound. Disorganized people will always tend to disrupt my life. But more and more I’m realizing that Jesus is not as concerned about my routine, my boat, my cage, my tambourine, my apple cart, my stuff, or my feng shui as I am. He’s more concerned about what I do when unexpected things happen or disorganized people make my organized life chaotic. When I overreact or let things irritate and upset me to the point where I am angry or irrational, I am not reflecting God’s love. So I’m putting that on my “to-do” list of things I need to work on.

However, I won’t lie to you. I cannot contain my joy when I get home from a hard day and find my house neat and tidy!

*****

Lord, my “to-do” list of things I need to work on overfloweth. My loved ones think I’m borderline OCD, but You know I’m really just a highly organized person. Okay, maybe I’m overly organized. So I need Your help to keep things in perspective. Instead of obstacles to my peace of mind, let me see opportunities to show forth Your love.    

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