Red Wednesday's Wisdom - Christmas Reflection

Over the next two weeks I will be taking time off from writing the blog.  I want to give full attention to enjoying and loving on my family as we celebrate the birth of the Christ child and the hope that He gives us as we enter a New Year.  Upon my return, I will introduce you to CHG # 7.

As we adorn our homes with all the majesty and lighting of the Christmas season, I am reminded more than ever of how much we need to honor and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  I say this especially in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that took place this past Friday, where the lives of 20 precious elementary children and 6 adults were taken in Newtown, Connecticut.  What an example of the darkness and evil that constantly surrounds us and influences us, something we talked about in last Wednesday’s posting. The evil one is real, and he is known as the thief.  John 10:10 tells us that the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy, but God’s purpose is to give a rich and satisfying life.  Last Friday, December 14, 2012, the thief came without warning and he made his way into a quaint hometown school.  The killer’s only intent was to steal, murder, and destroy.  Obviously, this killer did not know the rich and satisfying life that comes from personally knowing the Christ child, whose only purpose was to die and rise again so we could be saved from the evil one. 

I appreciate the reflection that comes from Grace Communion International and the commentary on John 10:10.  “Jesus' main purpose was the salvation (health) of the sheep, which he defined as free access to pasture and fullness of life. Under his protection and by his gift they can experience the best that life can offer. In the context of John's emphasis on eternal life, this statement takes on new significance. Jesus can give a whole new meaning to living because he provides full satisfaction and perfect guidance.”

We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because He is the only One who takes away the clutter of our sinful way of living.  This Christmas, I pray that we make a pathway for Him to enter into our hearts so we learn to love more and fight less.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #6, Part Three

See Through My Stuff from the Inside Out and Follow Through
This past week I met up with a friend who I had not seen since last year, though we do periodically communicate with one another.  As we eased into our conversation, she made a comment that was very reminiscent of what she had said a year ago. “I always look forward to reading your blog every Wednesday,”  she said.  “It’s as though you know exactly what I am thinking and going through from one week to the next!  How can that be?”  First of all, I wanted to put to rest any fears that she might have had about me knowing any intimate details about her life. I also wanted to reassure her that I had no clue as to what she was dealing with but God does.  The fact that the blog speaks to my friend is such a great affirmation of the Holy Spirit being at work in our individual lives through the SW (Spirit Work).  The Holy Spirit is always at work in our lives, even though we can not see Him.  He is the One who wants to ultimately guide us through our “stuff”.  I get very excited when I witness God working in the lives of others as they seek a relationship with Him. There is no greater reward than to be used by God to point others into His loving arms. 

In recent posts, I have talked about two songs that are such great illustrations of the loving relationship that God wants with each one of us. One is from last week’s posting, When God Ran, and the other is the song called Mary’s Alabaster Box, from two weeks ago.  I never tire of hearing these two songs.  They are a constant reminder to me that I can not forget the way life used to be. I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound. No one was with me the night that Jesus found me. No one knew what I felt when He wrapped His loving arms around me.  Yes, God ran to me.  He took me in His arms, held my head to His chest, and said, “My daughter has come home again!”  He lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes, and with forgiveness in His voice He said, “Do you know that I still love you?”

The past is one of the biggest clutter issues that I see people holding onto.  And many are totally unaware that their past is even enslaving them.  It is often a past that is rooted in fear:
False
Expectations
Appearing
Real

Fear often hides behind the mask of:
♥ Intimidation
♥ Panic
♥ Anxiety
♥ Nervousness
♥ Hopelessness

To get our healing in the present, God will take us to revisit our past.  Since He knows everything about us, He knows where He needs to take us and what He needs to give us in order to heal.
 
Regardless of what clutter category you chose to focus on, each clutter category is rooted in a spiritual component that is reflected in how we think.  We are born with the inherited imprint of sin.  The color black is symbolic of that sin, and as we become more and more familiar with the world that we live in, we see the darkness and evil that surrounds us and is constantly influencing us.  Consequently, when we are born into this dark and evil world, there is also the desire to fight rather than to love.  CHG # 6 is about cleaning out or decluttering our desire to fight, and replacing it with a desire to love.

In closing, we come to You Father, realizing how much easier and safer it feels to examine the faults of someone else.  Please guide us to go inside of ourselves and make an honest inventory of those areas that need to be changed.   We ask for Your help in putting on Your character of humility.  We need to receive what might not be very pleasant for us to see.  Break down those walls of pride and arrogance that we hide behind, so we can feel the outpouring of your love and the personal relationship that You desire to have with each one of us.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #6, Part Two

See Through My Stuff from the Inside Out and Follow Through

This past week, our SW was to ask the Lord to help us see what we have been blind to seeing, and to then ask Him how we could follow through by addressing that blindness.

One of the questions I was asked this week was, “How do I get organized and where do I even start?”  My one word response would be, “Empty.”  What does empty mean?  I will answer that question by applying CHGs #s 1-6.

CHG #1: Slow down and be still. 

This helps you to go inside of your head and empty out some of your thoughts so you can determine that one area that will give you the most satisfaction in being emptied out or decluttered.  What area will feel good for you to be working on?  

Here is a suggestion.  If storage areas like the basement, attic, garage, or closet are all cluttered up, then I suggest you start in one of those areas.  You need to create a potential “home” for the things you will eventually want to store from other areas. Much of the “stuff” in storage areas piles up and has no order because it is that place that collectively hides what we do not want to see and deal with.  It is also the “stuff” that piles up because you usually do not want to make a decision about it.  Storage areas are a great place to start with because much of the “stuff” gets emptied out as trash or donations. It’s a great feeling to cerate space as you see through your stuff from the inside out.  What has been pushed down on the inside now has the opportunity to come out!

Whatever area you start in, you need to have a pathway for your feet so as to avoid accidents.  So if the floor is all cluttered up you will need to empty the floor first.  This is then followed by counter tops.  When the floor and counter tops are clear you are ready to empty out those hidden storage areas, like closets, cupboards, or containers because you now have the space to empty and sort.  

CHG # 2 Love the Lord.

Acknowledge God’s presence in your life so you can include Him in this process of getting things emptied - decluttered.  He will guide your steps and help you to:

1. Gather your supplies – An assortment of bags is needed.  Heavy duty trash bags are inexpensive and hold a lot of “stuff” for transporting to the street as trash or to a donation center. Use plastic grocery bags for little parts that need containerized for donations.  Clear zip lock/slider bags are great for the smaller things that you want to keep and see. Sticky notes, sharpies, and tape are indispensible for labeling your bags as soon as they are filled. You do not want to mix up your categories.
2. Designate an area for trash, another for donations and one for keeps.  Label those areas so it is easy to see how and where “stuff” is to get sorted.  This is a broad example of getting things categorized. 
3. Stick with one activity at a time.  If you are sorting, then just sort.  If you are bagging, then just bag.  If you are labeling, then just label. You want to move around as little as possible, and follow through with completing one activity before moving on to the next one.    
4. Set a realistic time frame: Break down your time into small attainable time frames.  A good starting point is to establish a minimum time frame of 15 minutes to a maximum of 2 hours.  You want to nurture and encourage yourself by seeing the success you make with small steps. 

CHG # 3: Ask for help, ask questions, and pray.  

1. Feel free to ask me any kind of question that will help you to get organized.  I have a wealth of information and experience. 
2. If you need the assistance, support, or the physical presence of someone else, then ask for it.  One of the biggest draw backs to getting a task accomplished is that we do not delegate or ask others to help us.  This is especially the case at home with family members or at the work place with fellow employees.  Our self sufficient pride, control, and perfectionism, can create a great deal of our clutter. 
3. Ask the Lord to help you with the steps to take, like the ones mentioned above.  And ask Him to help you enjoy the process and learn from it.

CHG # 4 Love myself and others.

♥ To gather, means to come together in one direction.

♥ To scatter, means to go in many directions and be confused.

Follow through by moving in the direction that you said you were going to take.  You will prevent yourself and loved ones from being scattered here, there, and everywhere!

CHG # 5 Embrace change and set goals patiently.

Be patient with yourself as you go through the decluterring process of emptying out.  Avoid doing it in a hurry because haste truly does make waste for us at so many levels.

CHG # 6 See through your stuff from the inside out and follow through.

When you follow through with examples of applying these CHGs, you will conserve your space, time, energy, and money and know where to start.

To follow through means to complete what you start, and this means anything and everything:

♥ A thought

♥ An action

♥ A task or job

♥ Mean what you say and do it:

·         Make your “yes” yes.

·         Make your “no” no.

A lack of follow through often comes as the result of saying “yes” to too much.  Being a “yes” person is usually motivated by wanting to be a people pleaser.  Consequently, follow through often does not happen because there is too much on one’s plate.

This coming week let’s see how our SW will help us to be more cautious about what we say “yes” to and what we say “no” to. And from a spiritual perspective, if you have not  yet asked the Lord to come into your life, I pray that this be the time for you to say, “yes” to Him. May this also be the week that we stop procrastinating and commit to doing that job, task, or activity that we need to follow through with.  May you be richly blessed as you listen to this song that is all about God’s unconditional love for you and me.  It’s called, When God Ran by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.