Order:
“A condition in which each thing is properly disposed with reference to other things and to its purpose; methodical or harmonious arrangement: You must try to give order to your life.” (dictionary.com)
I originally thought my word would be Joy. It has been part of my life focus for the past 19 years. But, truth be told, I hadn’t prayed about it. I just assumed. DUH!
When I actually talked to the Lord about it and listened to Him giving focus and direction this past 10 days, I realized He was working on something different for me. He opened my mind to the whole “It’s Time For Martha!” theme for my blogging as He directed me to the need for ORDERINGmy housework.
But it went beyond that. God’s order doesn’t just reach into our homemaking. His order reaches into every aspect of our lives. And He wants to touch every part of MINE. He has pointed His finger on a number of issues in my life that are OUT OF ORDER.
- my housework
- my eating (not eating a lot, just all the wrong things)
- my exercising
- my homeschooling (plans so easily get sidetracked and we are seldom getting beyond just the basics)
- my time in the Word (I’ve seldom been snatching more than a few minutes each day and haven’t spent time really studying or meditating on the Word for over a month)
So, see…ORDER is the word of the day/week/month/year for me!
God is a God of order and beauty and rightness. These are the character qualities of God I am working to build into my life this year with this focus on Order. I would LOVE your prayer for me and your encouragement and your help or insight!
May God be magnified in my journey this year!!
Blogs I might be linking to:
Menu Planning Monday, On The Menu Monday, Erin Branscoms, Marital Oneness, The Better Mom, Multitudes on Monday, Hear it On Sunday, Sharing His Bounty, What Joy Is Mine, Playdates at the Well, Back to School Monday, Domestically Divine Tuesdays, Time Warp Wife, Funky Planet Frequent Flier Club, Encourage One Another, Living Well Wednesdays, The Welcoming House, Legacy Leaver Thursday, What’s Up Wednesday, Thought Provoking Thursday, Hearts 4 Home, Thankful Thursday, First Day of My Life , Thankful Thursdays, Thankful, Thankful Thursday Brown-eyed Bell(e), Big Family Fridays, Faith Filled Fridays, Feasting In Fellowship Friday, Homemaking Link-up Week-end, A Little R&R
Love it! I do like the idea of having one word for the year to focus on. I’m pretty sure I know what mine is but I’m afraid to name it because I have a feeling God is going to give me lots of practice. roflol!!! However, I’ve been a believer long enough to know that just because I choose not to reveal it doesn’t mean that I still won’t get the practice. 😉
Terri, you are cracking me up!!
God’s been prompting me on that same thing. Order! I’ve been studying Genesis and we spent almost a month on the creation story. I’ve always said, “I’m just not an organization person.” Then God showed me in His Word that HE is a God who has everything in order. THEN!!! He showed me that I was made in His image (well, I already KNEW that!). But guess what: being made in His image means that I have those “orderly” qualities available to me. Ouch! No more excuses. I’m looking forward to reading about what God shares with you. I’m not there yet, but I’m a tiny bit closer than I was before.
(I’ve been meaning to share these thoughts with you for a while now and haven’t gotten around to it. Guess I just needed this prompt. :-))
Jen, sweetie, I hear ya! I’ve worked on various stages of orderliness/diligence over the years. You’d think after all this time I’d be ‘furtherer’ than I am! Just goes to show how ‘out of order’ I have been!! 😀
First: i laughed at your ‘sign’ , but quickly sobered; thinking, hmmm….just how long, Cathy, are you going to be ‘out of order’ yourself? OUCH! Conviction….and,goodness….seems we are kindred spirits even in “faulty” matters! wink, wink. Except for homeschooling, which no longer applies to me; i could identify completely with each of the other areas you mentioned. Thank you for your honesty….it is actually encouraging to know we are not ‘alone’ in our struggles, but even more so…that though we may have matured in Christ….we must not get “lax” or make excuses, (as i so regularly have the, oh, last (gulp) 5 YEARS!) for disordered areas of my life. Especially when i used to have a rather orderly life, even tho that was not ‘natural’ or easy for me. Though it is strangely encouraging to know that another mature Christian who is an example to other Christian women has some of the same struggles….it also brings forth accountability to do something about it! Succinctly…(ok, well too late for being “succinct”), BACK TO BASICS! OBEY WHAT YOU KNOW….and you can never go wrong. Thank you, my most kindred Sister!
My darling Cathy, just one more thing to love about you! 😀 I’ll pray for you and you can pray for me in this journey this year!! Love you, darling.
great word, I could probably sneak that one in myself, but I think grace-full discipline sort of encompasses order, too. That sure seems like where God is sending me…get things done…do things in the right order. You are not alone in your journey
Hi Lani! Yes, there are so many aspects of orderliness that God can touch on. In years past I’ve done diligence, faithfulness, discipline. Funny how God can narrow in on a word that just slaps you upside the head! 😉 Grace-full discipline is a good one!
Great word! You and I must be twins! I try so hard to gain order over everything. As I homeschooling, I struggle to get through anything more than the basics. I can’t wait to see where God takes you with your “order*!
Hey Nellie…I’ll accept that! 😉 Glad to have you follow my journey! Remember, though, I tend to have more failures along the way than I hoped!! 😀
That word “Order” takes in so much. I am with you on this one. Order, organize, meditate, memorize, prioritize, just so many different things. God absolutely must be on the top of our “order” to accomplish what He wants in us. Order – great word for all of us. Thanks for being open and sharing your heart. Love it!!
Hi Correna — so glad for your encouragement!
Amen! May God be magnified. Laura’s Playdates link-up brought me here. I appreciate your honest sharing of your struggles. May God grant you much growth in these areas as the Spirit of Christ conforms you more to the character of God.