If you have ever stared at mounds of laundry after a vacation, a room full of moving boxes, a messy, overstuffed garage or a toddler’s room after playtime, you know what it feels like to look chaos in the face. It can be intimidating, overwhelming and devasting! Ugh!
In Genesis, it says that God created the heavens and the earth from nothing but dark, formless, empty, chaos. God looked formless, dark, chaos in the face and used His words to create the universe, calling for light to come out of darkness. After that, He separated the light and the darkness, creating day and night. Then, on the second day of creation, He separated the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth. Reading this made me think of how God set the template in place to create order. After God had created the spaces (land, sky, water), He decided what creatures and vegetation would be best suited for that environment and gave every living creature a home based on their needs and unique design.
When I decided to start a blog, I felt that Genesis was the best place to start. It was amazing to me how God’s creation process was the perfect template for creating order in any space. WOW, God always has the best ideas! Here is what I learned from Genesis chapter 1, God was THE organizer of the universe and all it contains.
First: Turn on the light. Bring everything out of the space you are organizing into the light. There is a big difference between straightening and organizing. It is so important to totally empty the space, clean it and start with a clean slate. It helps you see how much you have, what things you don’t need anymore, in fact, you may even find a lost treasure that you forgot you had!
Second: Remember the power of your words. Speak words of life and a blessing over your home, “this home will be orderly and a blessing to all who are here” not, “this house is a disaster!”
Third: Separate things by category. Just as the Lord separated light and dark, earth atmosphere from the earth, waters from the land… Put things together by category. For example, all baking items together, all grilling accessories together, all entertaining pieces together. This is super helpful as it allows you to see how much you have, identify duplicates that you don’t need or items that you no longer use. It also helps you see how much you have of each category so you can determine how much room you need to store them and the best location for them in your home.
Fourth: Give everything a home. Just as the earth was the home for vegetation, the skies were the home for birds, water was the home for fish, everything in our home needs a home. Most disorganization is caused by this one simple thing. Once everything has a home, it is much easier to keep your home organized.
Fifth: Have a plan, don’t try to do it all in one day. God had a specific action for each day of creation. He didn’t do it all in one day. There was a progression. Usually when organizing, there is a progression as well. Start with one drawer or one shelf. Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you need to do it all in one day or even one week. Write down your plan, schedule a specific time to do it, and if possible, partner with a friend to hold each other accountable.
Oh, and by the way, remind yourself as you go to step back and say “this is good!” God admired his workmanship too! 😊