Organized

 

"Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing."  This scripture from D&C 88 is perhaps one of my most guilt inducing verses of all. 

Because my house just isn't always orderly.  

I am not sure where I got the idea that organized means ready for a Better Homes & Gardens spread but I did.  Bonus points for seasonal decor and meals from scratch.  And of course I should look like a model too.  Right? 

Now I do feel better and can work better when things are clean and taken care of.  And there are occasional moments where I can achieve it. 

But that's not always our reality.  Because we live here.  And we eat and wear clothes and put things down when we are done with them.  And sometimes we are tired or choose to have fun instead. 

But while reading tonight I paused for a moment and looked up what organized actually means.  Here is the root Latin meaning: to form into a whole consisting of interdependent parts.

Whoa.  What if I use that meaning to redefine my bar for measurement? 

That allows me to ask instead, "Do the parts of our home and family work together to accomplish our purposes?"

If not we need to work on that but if they do then we are doing okay. And can offer ourselves some grace.

Does that clean laundry on the couch waiting to be folded eventually make sure we are all dressed? Then it works.

Are the toys and books strewn across the floor part of the children learning and growing and exploring? Then it works.

Does a nightly pick up routine work for your family? Great. 

Does cold cereal for dinner keep us going on late nights? Yes! 

Satan scores points when we take wise and loving guidance from our Heavenly Father, and make it into unattainable measures of comparison, bitterness and self degradation. 

Perhaps what he meant was to make sure all the parts of our homes and families are working together for good.   And that can look very different for each of us.  My system might not work for you.  And that's okay.  

Talk to the Lord; listen to His Spirit; find the system that keeps your lives whole.