Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #8, Part One

Commit to Listening and Making a Decision
As we look to CHG #8, which tells us to commit to listening and make a decision, what does this guideline imply as being the root cause of my clutter?

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not commit.
♥ My clutter builds up when I do not listen.
♥ My clutter builds up when I do not make a decision.

Therefore, when I commit, listen, and make decisions, I lessen my clutter and this brings healing to me.

The Scripture to support CHG #8 is from Mark 4:3-9, “ ‘Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed…some seed fell on a footpath…on shallow soil…among thorns…on fertile soil…Anyone who is willing to hear, should listen and understand.’ ”

If you go to your Bible, you can read these Scriptures in their entirety.  In Mark 4, Jesus is teaching through one of His many parables.  This time the parable is not about fishing as we saw with CHG #7.  Instead, it is about planting or sowing seeds while taking into account the type of soil that our seed can fall on.  The parable is used as an analogy to our listening skills, and especially to God’s Word.  When seed gets scattered over open land or when sound travels through our field of hearing, the seed or sound can fall onto four types of soil:

♥smoothed out paths
This is where the seed gets eaten by the birds.  There is no soil for growth.  Our hearing can be that way too, what we hear in one ear, goes out the other, and there are times when we do this with each other and with God.

♥rough and rocky terrain
On rocky soil, there is very little earth for something to take root, there is no depth for growing what is sewn.  When it comes to our selective hearing, we can take in what someone says or what God’s Word tells us for a little while, but it can quickly be forgotten or disregarded.  It gets scorched out and dies.

♥weedy thorny overgrowth
Weeds and thorns can choke out what gets planted.  Biblically speaking, it’s the light of God’s Word that we hear, but it gets choked out by the darkness that we are so accustomed to, and therefore, no crop is produced.

♥fertilely enriched
This is the ground that is READY to receive what gets planted, and it results in a harvest that is beyond one’s expectation.  Because of our readiness to hear, listen, and understand, we bear much fruit as we accept and soak in the Word of God and learn to respect our communication with others.

What do you think Mark 4:3-9 implies as being the root cause of why our clutter can occur?

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not listen.  Jesus emphasizes this need to listen both at the beginning of these verses and at their ending.
♥ My clutter builds up when I do not plant my seeds on fertile ground.
♥ My clutter builds up when I am not willing to hear.  
♥ My clutter builds up when I do not understand.

Therefore, when I listen to the Word of God and value others by listening to what they have to say, I produce the fertile ground that helps me to receive what I hear with open ears and to pursue the desire to understand.  This lessens my clutter and brings healing to me and to others.

Your SW this coming week is about lessening your relational clutter by paying more attention to how you listen, or do not listen, to others or to God’s leading and teaching.  The dictionary, next to the Bible, is my favorite reference book.  I find that just one word in a definition can give me a fresh new meaning and slant to words that are already very familiar to me. Here are some of the words related to this week’s CHG that you might want to look up.  Check them out! See how one new word to define the following words can give you a fresh new approach to how you listen and make decisions:

♥Commit
♥Listening
♥Decision    
♥Planting
♥Fertile
♥Hear
♥Understanding

Father God, please help me to take this CHG to heart by being honest about me.  It’s hard to admit, but I know there are times when I am in too much of a hurry to listen, or I do not respect what I hear You or others telling me.  I can find myself in a race to speak what I have to say because I think it is so important, valuable, and wise!  Consequently, it causes me to only half listen, if at all, to the words of You or another.

Please forgive me for thinking that what I have to say is far more important than being silent and giving my full attention to listening to You or someone else.  Help me to recognize that my decision to listen is a demonstration of my love for You and others.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom

Getting Organized to Move
This post is for those of you who made it known that you could use some help in your upcoming moves.  So, if you are contemplating a move, or know that one is drawing near, now is the time to start planning and moving into action, a little bit at a time.  Avoid putting off what you can begin to do now.  Because there are so many different moving situations, I will list the general bullet points that can help you to begin the moving process with a sense of peace and joyful anticipation.
 
• It is imperative to get ready for a move by reviewing CHG #7. 
Your move is going to be so much smoother if you begin to get your “stuff” in order now.  It is time to decide what you need verses what you want.  So take advantage of this time to fish: gather, sort, let go, containerize, and take it home to rest.

• Clean and wash your treasures before the move rather than after.  It feels so good to move right into a new place and just have fun setting up and decorating.

• As you gather your “let go” items, you can save time by calling one of the charities to schedule a truck pick up.  This will keep you from making frequent trips to do drop offs.  Estimated price sheets for your donations can be obtained at any Goodwill.  And remember to get a receipt so you can itemize for tax deductions.  With good condition furniture or collectibles, consider listing them on Craig’s list, EBay, or with a resale/consignment shop.  The price tag will be comparable.  Usually you can get a little bit more by selling it yourself, and you do not have to wait for the pay off.  A basic rule of thumb is to anticipate the value to be half the price of what you paid.  If you are contemplating a moving sale, be sure you have volunteers to help you.  The pay off can be very motivating, but be sure you have the time and energy to organize.

• Gather your supplies: 
1. Packing Boxes
2. White packing paper
3. Packing tape
4. Scissors to cut tape (I prefer this), or a tape dispenser
5. Thick black Sharpie markers
6. Heavy duty black garbage bags
7. Post it’s

Determine how cost effective and time efficient you want to be.  Boxes, paper, and tape can be purchased through professional movers.  Some movers will deliver the supplies to you even if you do not use them for the actual move.  You can also go to the moving company to pick up your packing needs.  Ask the moving company if they have boxes that have been recycled from previous moves.  They will be less expensive compared to buying new ones.  Also consider if there is anyone you know who would have boxes and paper to pass on to you after their move.   Supplies can also be purchased at U-Haul and Home Depot type stores, but they can be a little more pricy than getting the supplies from a moving company.  Grocery stores can be a good source for free boxes, if they are willing to assist you.  I personally like Trader Joe’s.  They will let you know the time and day that is best suited for retrieving their boxes.  You cannot have too many boxes, especially the small to medium sized ones that are needed for heavy items like books, appliances, pottery, and heavy glass. You can always recycle what is left over.  Be sure to ask what the return policies are for unused boxes and unopened boxes or rolls of paper.  Avoid using newspaper for wrapping.  It is so messy dirty.

• Decide who is going to do the move – you (and those you know) or professionals.  If you are using professional movers then get three estimates.

• Set a moving date. 

• Do a walkthrough of your living space and determine what area is least used.  Packing will begin in that area.  For most people, this will be the storage areas, followed by dining room and living room.  Bathrooms and kitchens are the last to get packed, except for the items that are rarely used.

• When you are putting boxes together, stick with that one activity and make a number of boxes before you begin to do any packing.  If you are not using a tape dispenser, be sure to turn the edge of the tape under or you will struggle to get the end free as it sticks to the tape roll.

• Only cushion the bottom and top of a box with crumpled paper when pack- ing breakables.  I love using towels and rugs to pack and protect big heavy, breakables.  It saves on paper.

• Label the top and side of your box with room location and contents.

• Stack your boxes on the perimeter of the room with the labeling visible.

• Gather all the “like” items that are displayed in your rooms and categorize them: framed pictures, decorative breakables, floral arrangements, etc.  When you move, you may find that things look better in different rooms and don’t end up being displayed where you originally thought they would go. Unpacking these categorized items and then putting them in their new “home” will feel like shopping in a store and can be fun. 

• Heavy duty black garbage bags, or your unused suit cases and duffle bags, are great for packing shoes, purses, boots, linens, towels, pillows, bedding, and clothes that do not get hung.  Remember to label the bag with post it’s and reinforce with tape!!!  Bags are great for fillers and cushions when loading the moving truck.

• If possible, keep hanging clothes on hangers and stack as you lay them flat in your vehicle.  Wardrobe boxes can be pretty expensive when purchased new ($11.00 to $17.00 per box).  There are some cases when they are needed and more practical.

Hopefully, these pointers will lessen your feelings of being overwhelmed and help you to be more at ease and actually enjoy the process of moving.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom

More of Colleen's Quips and Quotes

·        Want to make God laugh?  Tell Him your plans.

·        Let go of telling God what to do.

·        Let go of picking on yourself.

·        Let go of “shoulding” on yourself and others.

·        Let go of saying, “I have to.”

·        Let go of negativity.

·        Let go of perfection.

·        Let go of saying, “I don’t have time.”  We all have 24 hours a day.

·        Let go of saying, “What if?”

·        Hold on to saying, “This is what I need.”

·        I will keep on getting what I have always gotten, unless I make a change.

·        I will keep on doing what I have always done, unless I make a change.

·        We mirror what we see.

·        God’s Word will change the way you see God and yourself.

·        It takes 31 days to establish a new habit.

·        There are no quick fixes.

·        Ask for help.

·        Take care of yourself.

·        Prayer allows God to change us.

·        When I express thankfulness, I am telling God that I trust Him and depend on Him.

·        My outward life reflects my inner life.

·        My outward clutter is a reflection of my inward clutter.

·        Our homes can reflect and symbolize what is inside of us.

·        Our homes reflect our hearts.

·        Basements can be where we “stuff.”

·        Bedrooms are for intimacy and love.

·        Kitchens are the heart beat and survival of life.

·        Family rooms are for gathering and socializing.

·        The Living room represents the 80% of your home that is rarely used.

·        Do not be a fool to Satan’s schemes.

·        As I learn to trust God, I learn how to trust myself.

·        Look into the mirror and say, “I love you,________________(your name).

·        Our focus is to be on the Creator, not His creation.

·        We do not know how to love and nurture our relationships because we ignore the Creator of love.

·        To be truly loved and nurtured we must remember to love God first.

·        I will feel loved and accepted when I ask Jesus into my heart.

·        It is God’s desire that we clean out our hearts and homes.

·        Cleaning out our hearts means that we clean out the sin in our lives.

·        Pride = a rock hard heart.

·        Humility = a sponge soft heart.

·        God gives us many warnings and many chances.

·        The more we ignore God, the greater the consequences we face.

·        The Bible is your spiritual PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference).

·        The Bible is your book to recovery.

·        CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a life saving measure to bring back to life what was lost.

·        CPR Warning:  Even good things can cause clutter – too many devotionals, books, tapes, groups, serving.etc…

·        Focus on God and not your circumstance.

·        There is no such thing as a “white” lie.  A lie is a lie.

·        Let go of what is worn, torn, and broken.

·        Break it down. Take little steps: ONE step at a time.  One activity at a time.

·        Disobedience will cause desperation, devastation, and destruction.

·        Disobedience delays God’s blessings.

·        Repentance calls me to move into ACTION and to CHANGE:  I make a turn around.

·         Our past can keep us from moving forward.

·        Lessen your clutter:  Determine what you need verses what you want.

·        We use 20% of what we have and waste the other 80%.

·        Think of the sunflower as God’s Sonflower.

·        Get organized by gathering, sorting, categorizing, containerizing, and taking it home.

·        Clutter is the result of ignoring, avoiding, or pushing off the process of making a decision.

·        MESS – PR: the clutter that is Mental, Material, Emotional, Situational, Spiritual, Physical, and Relational.

·         Clutter can be divided in to two categories - hidden or exposed.

·        Your list can become clutter.

·        Are you ready to take off the dark glasses that keep you from seeing?

·        Create a clear pathway to walk on and in.

·        We are imperfect people, living in a imperfect world.

·        Owning all the latest organizing “tools” does not make you organized.

·         Relinquish control.

·        You lessen your clutter when you “let go” and follow through.

More of "Colleen’s Quips and Quotes" will come after we conclude the remaining CHG’s. Enjoy the SW of pondering these quips and quotes as you consider how they personally touch you. 

I am also going to make a request.  A number of you are moving, or you are contemplating a move.  Please e-mail me ASAP at Colleen.flenner@gmail.com if you would like next week’s posting to be: Getting Organized to Move.  I will eventually do a posting like this further down the road if the need is not indicated at this particular time.

I will close with one of my favorite prayers. 

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.