Simplicity

Simplicity.

Most desire it, but don't know how to achieve it.

In a home where ten family members reside and often chaos can reign, I know that I must be diligent in making our home a functioning dwelling of peaceful dominion. There are many ways that I have chosen to go about doing this and since I am a compulsive list maker I have lists everywhere prepared to tackle the tasks at hand. I take all this quite seriously as I know that what I do here glorifies the Lord or quite the opposite. I am constantly thinking of ways for our home and school to run smoother, more efficiently. There is nothing more exciting than eating the fruit of hard labor and the results are wonderfully sweet.

Some ways that I have chosen to do this is by keeping notebooks and portable files. These are for the many different areas of my life---household, medical, holidays, bank accounts, homeschool, ministry. This system helps keep paper to a minimum and keeps what I need available at a moments notice. Before I switched to this method I had a hard time keeping track of everything---I had a lot of good intentions but they were piled up with mixed papers and confusion.

I am learning to throw things away that I haven't used within a year. I understand that keeping these things will only require more energy from me and time. Precious time that I could be spending with my blessed little ones. Like my precious little sweetheart Josiah (affectionately nicknamed 'Love-Siah' below).




Isn't he just adorable? Look at those chubby little hands and cheeks!! What mother wouldn't want more time to wrap her heartstrings around this little one? So planning I must, as it is a requirement for me for it frees me up to love the ones around me.

Decluttering. This past weekend we had a garage sale to get rid of some of our overflowing excess around here, as soon as the rain subsides all of it get hauled to our local thrift store. I am so excited to finally have an opportunity to tackle the garage. I had begun a bin system that worked initially but needs revamping to suit our new needs. All things need constant reevaluation for things change and so do our homes. The garage will be our next big project. I will go into it this year with the mantra 'less is more.' And throwing things out feverishly as I understand that my home cannot become a hub of ministry that I so desire it to become if I am disorganized. I cannot effectively minister to others for the Lord if I am overwhelmed with laundry or school. The Advanced Training Institute defines orderliness as--"preparing myself and my surroundings so I will achieve the greatest efficiency."

All must be conquered so that the end result is simplicity.

Our lives cannot be so busy either that we ignore our first duties. If we neglect to teach the Word of God to our children, train, shepherd and love them we have failed. Satan surely laughs as we overflow our schedules with an abundance of 'activity' as we drive ourselves to exhaustion making us merely useless to advance any kingdom, much less the Kingdom of God.

Simplicity. Order. Peace.

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." 1 Corinithians 14:33

Let us do all we can do to obtain it.