Red Wednesday's Wisdom

Colleen’s Quips and Quotes
Yes, I did it!  I began the arduous task of decluttering my tax information for 2012.  And I am also thankful to say that my tests came back negative.  So at this point, I am assuming that I had a nasty GI bug that took up a one week’s residence.  I trust that you too found success in your endeavors to get decluttered and organized, and particularly with those paper piles.

Having spent the past six weeks on CHG #7, I thought it would be nice to take a little reprieve before starting in with CHG #8.  So, I am going to share what many of my clients and students have come to call “Colleen’s Quips and Quotes.” Some of them may sound familiar to you, since they do come out of my teaching. And if they do, then that is a good indication of what you are learning and retaining. 

Colleen’s Quips and Quotes

• We all need help with whatever we are going through. 
• No one person has all the answers, but God does.
• Get clear on what your heart desires.
• Our greatest clutter starts in our head and moves to our heart.
• You can deal with anything when you discover the reality and practicality of God and His Word.
• The 12 CHG’s are the practical tools for lessening your clutter and experiencing healing.
• God’s Word is an endless supply of hope, love, and truth.
• You can hear God speaking if you listen to His Word.
• My prayer time and going to God’s Word, is like a phone call to God, and He always picks up.
• God always answers prayers in His timing and way, not in my timing or my expectations.
• The 12 CHG’s are the result of listening and obeying to the Lord’s direction in my life.
• The number 12 is symbolic of the 12 disciples who followed and learned from Jesus.
• Prayer is the ongoing, never ending opportunity, to communicate with God and be specific.
• When I pray, I am gathering the thoughts and feelings that I want to share with God.
• When I write down my prayers, I can better see what I wanted to say and reflect on what I said.
• Going to God’s Word helps me to sort through the thoughts and feelings of my prayers.
• God’s Word is a prayerful communication to me about His thoughts and feelings.
• God will always prove to you that He is who He says He is.
• God’s Word gives me a direction and plan.
• Jesus saved me from the sin and darkness of myself, the world I live in, and the world yet to come.
• Our prayers can have so much in them, that even they, can get very cluttered.
• Cluttered prayers can cause us to not remember what we prayed.
• Cluttered prayers can reflect the cluttered communication that we have with others.
• Communication with God and others improves when we get specific, use less words, and listen.
• Be WATCHFUL of non verbal communication, it can say more than the words that are spoken.
• Be WAITFUL in speaking because goodness and abundance come to those who wait.
• People who deal with ADD issues often see and hear the written message over the verbal message.
• Foolishness is = to talking too much.
• Wisdom is = to listening.
•  The Old Testament Book of Habakkuk shows us that we can go to God with our prayers and He will reply.
• Change is gradual, purposeful, watchful, and waitful.
• With God’s power, you can change yourself but not someone else. 
• Are you doing what God is asking you to do?
• CPR WARNINGS: the heart warnings of God’s love that get misinterpreted as His negativity.
• God is not looking down on us and pointing His finger at us.
• SHE – The Safe, Healthy, and Edifying relationships that God wants you to have.
• Determine what to hold on to and what to let go of by asking if it is safe, healthy and edifying.
• God lifts me out of my piled up clutter.
• True love is safe, healthy, and lifts us up.
• You cannot afford to not spend time with God.
• Create time to be available to God.
• Your attitude is based on how you think, feel, and behave.
• We hold our breaths when we are anxious, so remind yourself to breathe.
•  Lack of sleep will rob you of what you can effectively accomplish in less time, so rest.
• Give yourself permission to spend time with yourself.
• My value is not based on how much I can do or how fast I can do it.
• Observe the 2 year old and learn how to say “NO.”
• Pray before you say “YES.”
• Being BUSY is Being Under Satan’s Yoke.
• What do I need to do verses what do I want to do.
• Believing leads to receiving, so believe to receive.
• Be still means to be, to become, to be quiet, to slow down, to receive, and take in.
• You cannot give what you do not have or have not received.     
• Think with your head instead of your tail.
• Let go of saying but….but….but…..
• God always loves us even when we do not love Him, ourselves, or others.
• God’s love and acceptance of me does not increase by me doing good works.
• I cannot earn God’s love, it is freely given to me as a result of His grace.
• When I focus on my past sins and faults, I create distance between me and God.
• It is my choice to decide if I will choose to love God.
• I will learn to love God’s way when I come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Where have I looked and not found the Lord?
• Where have I looked and found the Lord?
• How have I hurt or offended God?
• What do I think about God?
• What do I feel for God?
• What does God think about me?
• What does God feel for me?
• How does the world measure success?
• How does God measure success?

There is lots of spiritual food to chew on here, so as your SW, take the next week to see how you think and feel in response to “Colleen’s Quips and Quotes.”  I will use next week to continue sharing some of the more favored quips and quotes before introducing you to CHG #8.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #7, Part Six

Implement a Prioritized Plan with Patience
What kind of response did you hear from the Lord when you asked Him to help you get the direction you needed to begin fine sorting those generalized paper piles?   Well, here is the reality of what happened with me.  I have been notoriously hearing the two most familiar words that have become a constant mantra in my life.  Can you guess what they might be.  You’d be right if you guessed “slow down.”  It is that all too familiar prompting of CHG #1 that is consistently prodding me to slow down.  Having said that, I want to clarify that my slowing down can look very different from the slowing down that you need to put into action as we deal with our individualized paper piles. 

So let’s see how my situation can hopefully help you to understand some of the steps to execute in getting your own paper pile in order.   First of all, I gathered a generalized paper pile that got categorized as the 2012 tax year.   The goal that I had set for myself was to get my tax information finely sorted, recorded, and delivered to my accountant no later than March 15^th.  My plan was to do the taxes this past weekend, but that did not come to fruition.  Instead, I found myself being “delayed” as I was in my bed for the entire weekend.  It became very clear that there was a bigger priority at hand.  I was under enemy attack, and my body needed to fight off the unidentified GI bug, gallbladder issue, or whatever unknown entity gets revealed, as I wait for some of the test results.  Here is the direction that God gave me.  He helped me to be at peace with the change of plans.  My desire to get the taxes done in an even shorter time than what my goal had allotted me was being stalled, and God’s words resonated in my head about being patient.  I needed to be patient with the change of plans, my goal setting (CHG # 5), and their implementation (CHG # 7).  It can be so hard to still ourselves when we want to move, but it is possible, especially when we choose to listen to the quiet Spirit of God who is directing and working out our steps!

God willing, the tax information will get finely sorted tomorrow in their more specific piles.  Here is a sampling of some of those categories that get finely sorted for someone like me who is self employed:

1.      Expenses: Promotional, Advertising. Office supplies, Seminars, Teaching

2.      Utilities: Phones, Gas and Electric, Internet, Security System

3.      Mileage: Business, Health

4.      Donations: Church, Charities, Ministries

5.      Investments: IRA, Mortgage

6.      Taxes: Federal, State, Local, Real Estate

7.      Insurance: Health, Long Term, Home/Auto

8.      Income

The supplies that you want to gather for sorting papers include: post-its, sharpies, paper clips, scissors, rubber bands, stapler, file folders, and a variety of clear zip lock bags.

One of the biggest problems that arrive with sorting, is when the paper pile starts to get sorted, but then an interruption occurs and it causes many of you to ultimately throw all of your sorting, time, and energy back into an unsorted pile.  It results in a repetitive sorting that never sees the follow through to completion.  Stop that madness now! Here is what to do instead.  First, use those post its to label each categorized pile.  Then think of paper clips, rubber bands, file folders, or zip locks as your containerizing tools.  Determine which of these tools will best keep what you have sorted to stay sorted.  You can then gather your labeled and sorted piles into one pile.  Your pile will stay sorted and you can pick up where you left off. 

Once you have done the fine sorting, you are ready to take one pile at a time to read and study its contents, and make the necessary decisions. Your job will be done when you determine the type of container that is needed for your specific categories so that they can be taken home to rest.   

Our time and devotion to CHG #7 has been very detailed, and it has taken twice as long to discuss compared to any of the other guidelines.  This is because CHG #7 is really the blueprint for how your mind needs to think so you can create order in your outer environment as well as your inner environment.  I love the response that I heard this past week in regards to the time we have taken with CHG #7.  “CHG #7 helped me to move from a place of hope, to a place of faith, to a place that is now reality.”  The change that had taken place inwardly was now being reflected outwardly.  Material order had been achieved as well as an order that came from within. 

Your SW this week is to gather the supplies you need to get your paperwork in order so you can begin to break down those large paper piles into smaller more specific piles and get a system established for yourself.  

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #7, Part Five

Implement a Prioritized Plan with Patience
This week your SW was to address your generalized piles and choose the ones that would be the easiest for you to make a decision about.  How did you do with those piles?   How did it go for you in terms of labeling and determining what to keep, trash, recycle, or give away?  It is my hope that you also began to gain some insight about any fears that have deterred you in being able to let go of what has not been a blessing to you, so you can experience the healing and love that God wants to grant you.

You may have discovered that the paper piles were more challenging to you than any of the other piles.  Though toys and clothes can mound up pretty high and take up a lot of space, it tends to be the paperwork that is most cumbersome.  It requires more of your attention and time to fine sort and categorize paperwork, due to the reading, studying, and decision making for keeping or letting go.

So, let’s focus on the easier piles first and start with toys.  I will focus on two generalized categories so that you can get an idea of where to begin.  Gather your supplies: an assortment of bags – clear zip locks, white and or black trash bags, sharpie, post its, index cards, hole puncher, scissors, and ribbon.  A generalized sorting would be, as an example, stuffed animals.  Fine sorting the stuffed animals might be according to their size, so they would be labeled as: small stuffed animals, medium stuffed animals or large stuffed animals.  Stuffed animals take up more space than any other toy outside of toy furniture.  My suggestion is that you try to minimize them and keep them in a generalized category with an assortment of sizes.   

The next toy category is dolls.  Keeping them in a generalized doll category is suggested for young children, but as children get older there is a greater assortment of dolls.  This is when you will want to fine sort them into Barbie, baby, Polly pockets, etc.  Once you have decided what to keep and what to let go of, you are ready to bag up the categories you have made until you use the containers you have on hand or purchase new ones.  Bagging of toys is temporary and keeps them sorted until you put them in a permanent container that becomes their home. 

When it comes to toy containers, I advocate inexpensive white laundry baskets.  The look is easy and clean.  Label an index card, hole punch it, put ribbon through it and tie it to your basket.  Enjoy the order that comes from this set up that also requires you to routinely help your children to bring their toys home by putting them in the designated container.   Clear shoe box containers are advised for these fine sorted categories:  markers, crayons, colored pencils, stickers.  Of course, use containers that are smaller or larger than this, depending on your individualized needs.  Cut index cards in half, label it and tape it to your box.  Warning:  Keep these kinds of items and small tiny parts and games where children need to ask for them and be supervised.  Otherwise, you will end up with way more clutter than you ever wanted.

When it comes to the generalized pile of clothes, fine sort them according to pants, shorts, shirts, blouses, T’s, etc.  Keep this tip in mind: Clothes that are hung are always better to see and organize than those that are folded.  When storing outgrown clothes, put them in containers that differentiate them, such as boy or girl and the age range.  Warning:  Bagging clothes for storage can make for a lot more clutter, especially if they are not properly labeled.

I realize that there are many of you who have a variety of individualized organizing needs.  And over the past five weeks, I have singled out some of the basic principles to help you implement a prioritized plan with patience.  I am happy to help you in any way that I can, so if you have a question or concern, please, always know that you can ask me for help.  If you have a question, then get an answer.  Do not stay stuck in that fear and doubt!

Next week we will fine sort those paper piles.  Your SW this week is to continue asking the Lord to direct you in fine sorting your gathered piles and to ask others for the help that you need.   

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #7, Part Four

Implement a Prioritized Plan with Patience
Did you select that one living or work area that you wanted to declutter and focus on?  How did you do with making it your priority to start the process of gathering and sorting?  If you did implement those first two steps to getting organized, did you catch yourself wanting to examine and study things before putting them in their perspective piles?  What percentage of trash do you think you accumulated?
                                         

SORTING

♥ General Sorting
♥ Fine Sorting

Think of sorting as a two step process.  General sorting is what we focused on last week.  This week we are going to be more attentive to the fine sorting.  It is during this phase of fine sorting that I want to take you back to that visualization of fishing.  Up to this point, you have selected the area you have wanted to fish in, you have used a net to gather your fish, and you have sorted the fish into like species.  Now it is time to sit and fine sort those species, or generalized categories, and make a more detailed assessment of those piles.  You do this by addressing one pile at a time.  Scan the piles.  Then begin with the one pile that seems to be the least time consuming or least threatening for you.  Literally sit on the floor or lawn, at a table, desk, or counter, and start with the one pile that is the smallest or has the most potential to be thrown out as trash or to let go of as in a “give away.”  In your thinking, you always want to reward yourself for a task that can be readily achieved.

THROWING OUT or LETTING GO

Here is a tidbit of valuable information that I encourage you to keep in the forefront of your memory bank.  It could also have a direct effect on your piggy bank!  Of the 100% you have, you routinely use only 20% of it.  And get this, it is the same 20% that is used over and over!  You can apply this fact to just about anything – your living quarters, clothing, makeup, vitamins, toys, office supplies, keepsakes.  I think it is a true reality check with respect to how much we buy or hold on to, but we rarely use.  So, as you go through all the gathering and sorting, expect that you are going to throw out or let go of 80%.  Mail is a good example of driving this message home. Almost every day you receive some kind of mail. When that mail is sorted on a daily basis, you can quickly see that 80–90% of it gets pitched as “junk mail.”  So why would some of you continue to wait days, weeks, or even months to sort through your mail, while recognizing that you are collecting a pile of trash?  The why is often due to fear.  It is the fear of not wanting to know what a piece of mail might have to say, so none of the mail gets opened.  And for those of you who find this to be true for yourselves, I ask you to please reflect and ask God to help you in letting go of  that fear and replacing it with trust in Him, because fear is not from God.  We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline."

The most common response I hear when people find it so hard to “let go” of their things is this uncertain thinking that says, “I might need it”.  The key word here is might.  And consequently, many of you are holding on to a pile up of things that do not serve you, but enslave you.  Your thoughts and feelings towards your things are actually causing you to be doubtful rather than trusting in God’s provision. God tells us in Philippians 4:19 that He is the One who takes care of us and supplies all of our needs.  So, we need to let go of the doubting and hold on to believing that we will receive what we need.

As we get into the fine sorting of each pile, more specific categories will emerge.  Your largest category is the one that is based on the 80% profile and comprises the generalized throw out or let go category. That large category will then become 3 specific categories:

♥ Trash
♥ Recycle
♥ Give Away
      1. Charity
      2. Resale

Anything that is torn, worn, broken, or permanently stained, goes in the trash.  Charities do not want your trash items.  And as an added note, it usually costs way more to pay for alterations or sewing repairs, so let it go.  The only time giving something to another is a good idea is if you are known for follow through, otherwise pass it on to a charity or resale.  It helps when letting things go to say to yourself, “I am blessing someone who truly does need or can use this more than me.”

As the sorted categories of trash, recycle, and give away pile up, you will want to gather your supplies:

♥Large black trash bags
♥Post its
♥Sharpies
♥Tape

Bag up each category. 
Use the sharpie to label the category on a post it. 
Put the post it on the bag and reinforce with tape. 
Choose a space for your gathered bags until you have completed the entire job and can then deliver your sorted bags to their perspective destinations.

We will continue to talk more about the fine sorting next week.  This week your SW is to address your generalized piles and choose the ones that will be the easiest for you to make a decision about.  All you are doing is determining if you want to keep what is in the pile or let it go.  Identify your let go’s as trash, recycle, or give away, and label accordingly.

My prayer for you as we close this week is that you will be open to what God wants to show you about your fears, especially when it means letting go of something or someone.  Maybe the letting go has to do with your past or the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have cursed you rather than blessed you.  Instead of being fearful of what you may discover, I pray that you rally in the joy, healing, and love that can only come from God Our Father, Jesus His Son, and His Holy Spirit.  When we learn to let go, we learn what it means to let God.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #7, Part Three

Implement a Prioritized Plan with Patience
In my Home Touched business, this is the time of year when people are really devoted to getting their “stuff” in order, so it is important, as we addressed last week, to first visualize the “fishing net” or containers that you will need to get yourself started. 

As a reminder, the Scripture to support CHG #7 is from Matthew 13:47-48, “…a fishing net is thrown into the water and gathers fish of every kind. …sit …sort …and throw the bad ones away.”

 

GATHERING

In preparation to go fishing or get organized, the gathering process is essential.  Gathering is a three step process and it always involves patience.

1. The first step in gathering is to slow down so you can look at your surroundings and gather information that tells you about what room or area to start in.  Like a fisherman, you need to decide on the location that you want to fish in.  If storage areas need attention, an attic, the basement, or garage, then these are the places to start in.  You will then be ready for the storing of things from other areas.  Once the storage areas have been addressed, you can then start with the room that will give you the greatest satisfaction in being decluttered.  Sometimes it is the room that can be done in the shortest amount of time; it is encouraging to see something being completed, and it provides the motivation to press on. With someone else it might be their office because they want to get out from under the overwhelming paperwork.  And for another person, it might be the play area where the pile up of toys is taking over every bit of space.

2. The second step in gathering is to still yourself so you can think about the supplies or tools that you will need to gather. This will prevent you from falling into the trap of getting scattered by running in circles and wandering what to do.  It also keeps you from going back and forth to get this or that. You will need the “net,” or the bags and containers that you already have, so you can “fish” for, or gather, your smaller “stuff.”  This includes grocery bags (paper or plastic), black and white trash bags, assorted clear bags (sandwich size, quart, 1 and 2 gallon), and/or unused laundry baskets or plastic containers.  In addition to your containers, you will need a sharpie marker and Post-its.

 

3. The third step in gathering is being the fisherman who gathers the fish. We will make piles, but once again, here is where the patience and slowing down are so crucial.  Fishing involves very little body movement, so sitting is very important both symbolically and literally.  From a symbolic perspective, sitting means that you stay in one place, moving very little, and you complete your gathering in one area before you move on to the next one.  If things are on the floor, then stick to gathering the floor items.  And remember, if there is no pathway for the feet, then you always start with the floor.  If it is a counter that needs cleared, then stay at the counter area.  Seeing through with one area before moving on to the next relates to CHG #6 and the importance of seeing through your stuff and following through.  The follow through is what keeps you from getting overwhelmed and scattered.  Please keep in mind that the only activity you are implementing at this time is gathering.  Avoid examining or studying paper items while gathering, otherwise, you are going to get yourself side tracked.  Examining and studying is part of the sorting process that comes after gathering.  Put all your gathered containers, or larger items, to the perimeter of the room or in a corner to keep the floor area clean.

 

SORTING

Like a fisherman, you literally want to sit sometimes when it comes to sorting which “fish” to keep and which ones to throw out.  There will be times when you need to stand and move a little, but the idea is to decrease how much you move around in order to conserve your time and energy. Sorting, like gathering, has a number of different levels. First of all, you are going to sit on the floor or at a table that has been cleared out.  You are then going to focus on one gathered container at a time.  Empty the container’s contents and begin to sort by putting items into “like” categories. This is where you will begin to use the sharpie and Post-its to identify the categories that develop as a result of your sorting.  Even though your eyes see what is in the sorted pile, the Post-its save a lot of time and lessen confusion, especially when there are multiple piles. This is particularly true when it comes to doing an office with all of its numerous supplies and various papers.  You want to locate things with ease and not frustration.  Your mind will then stay clear and your emotions will remain calm.

I want to caution you that you are still not studying or examining these initial sorted piles.  Also keep in mind that there are times when it is obvious that something is trash.  So there is usually a pile that immediately gets designated as “trash”- throwing out the bad.

When you have sorted all the contents of one container, start with another one. Continue to do this until all the containers have been emptied and sorted.

Here are a few examples of some very general sorted categories that have not yet been finely sorted into more specific categories, something we will address next week.

♥ Storage areas: cleaning supplies, balls, bikes, decorations, keepsakes, photos/albums   

♥ Office area: periodicals, calendar events, coupons/gift cards, bills, school papers, notes, paper

♥ Play area: crayons, markers, stuffed animals, dolls, kitchen, costumes, locomotion, music.

I hope this information inspires you to actually enjoy the process of getting decluttered and to embrace that one area that you have been putting off.  Next week we will continue to talk about sorting and how it becomes more refined as we begin to examine and study the sorted piles. 

This week your SW is to focus on getting organized.  So get the fishing net that will help you to get started and begin to do some gathering and sorting.

           ♥ Ask the Lord to help you choose the one living or work area that you would like to declutter.
 

           ♥ Implement the steps that will help you get organized by gathering and sorting.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #7, Part Two

Implement a Prioritized Plan with Patience
All week I have been thinking about how thankful, helpful, and inspired I have been by the visually enlightening story of “The Fishing Net” from Matthew 13:47-48.  It was a constant support and reminder to me of how I needed to implement a prioritized plan with patience as I faced, once again, the thick and deep mucky waters of addictive family clutter and all of its emotional trappings. Jesus’ parable of “The Fishing Net” models every CHG that we have discussed up to this point, and it demonstrates the prioritized plan we can take to get through any kind and every kind of clutter when we implement this teaching about fishing:

CHG #1 - Slow Down.  You can not be in a hurry to fish.  Learn patience.

CHG #2 - Love the Lord.  God is the Master Fisherman, so let Him be the One to teach you.

CHG #3 - Ask for Help, Ask Questions, and Pray.  God is the Master Guide.  He has all the answers.  He knows how you need to fish and where you need to fish, so do it together.

CHG #4 - Love Myself and Others.   Fishing with God equips you to be more like Him.

CHG #5 - Embrace Change and Set Goals Patiently.  Fish each day with God and He will always be the Captain in your boat.

CHG #6 - See through My Stuff from the Inside out and Follow Through.  When we look beyond the cover of the Bible, to open it and see what is inside, we learn how to fish for life.

Last week’s SW was about doing some fishing with respect to where you want to be when your life has come to an end.  I hope that you were able to slow down and think about that question.  If you did I hope you have greater clarity this week than last week about where you stand with your answer and why.

I also asked you to think about the fishing net and what its symbolism could represent.  With respect to getting organized, the net symbolizes the container that you need in order to gather your fish or your “stuff.” So here are some examples of containers for gathering.
 
The first step to getting organized is to slow down and think about the container that will best fit your need for gathering the amount of “stuff” that is piled up. All you are doing is considering the appropriate container. You are not yet gathering, studying, examining, sorting or doing any other activity at this time.

I want to emphasize that your #1 spiritual container is the Bible.  The Bible contains all the thoughts, feelings, and information that God has gathered in His Book.  God’s directions for us always reflect what He Himself demonstrates.

When it comes to:
♥ Material clutter
Your containers for gathering are folders, grocery or trash bags, boxes, laundry baskets, empty organizing containers, waste baskets, or garbage cans for gathering the papers, toys, laundry, and/or whatever.
WARNING:  At this time, use what you have or what is least expensive to buy, which are trash bags.  Do not go and buy any containers right now.  The containers you are using at this time are only intended for gathering.  Later on we will talk about their use for storing.

When it comes to the other clutter categories, a journal is your primary container: 
♥ Mental Clutter
Have a journal to gather your one word thoughts. Have paper for gathering your to do list.
♥ Emotional Clutter
Have a journal to gather your one word emotions.
♥ Situational clutter
Have a journal to gather the thoughts and feelings that describe the situation you are facing.
♥ Spiritual Clutter
Have a Bible to refer to the thoughts, feelings, and information that God has gathered for you so that He can show you His way compared to your way.  Have a journal to list what God says compared to listing what you say.  This is an example of the communication process that gets gathered between you and God, and I would encourage you to implement this process with any one of the 7 clutter categories.
♥ Physical Health Clutter
Have a journal to list thoughts, feelings, dates, and symptoms related to your health issues.  Have a folder or see through bag to gather test results, care, and follow up. 
♥ Relational Clutter
Have a journal to gather the thoughts and feelings that describe the relational issues that you are facing.

Because I do not want to overwhelm any one with too much organizational information, I will be devoting more time to CHG #7 than some of the other guidelines.  It is my prayer that you will absorb some new information, so you can lessen or avoid some of the chaotic clutter that comes into your life, and you will learn how to implement a prioritized organizational plan with patience.

Next week we will address the other part of last week’s SW that related to the symbolic and literal meaning of:
♥Gathering
♥Sitting
♥Sorting &
♥Throwing out the bad

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #7, Part One

Implement a Prioritized Plan with Patience
Happy New Year everyone, and may 2013 be the year for less clutter in your life! So let’s get started in doing just that.  As you read CHG #7, look at the key words that clue you into the root causes of your clutter as they relate to this CHG.

♥ Implement
♥ Plan
♥ Prioritize
♥ Patience

1. My clutter builds up when I do not implement my prioritized plan with patience.
2. My clutter builds up when I do not have a plan.
3. My clutter builds up when I have a plan, but it is not based on priorities or knowing what is most important.
4. My clutter builds up when I have a prioritized plan that gets implemented, but then it is void of me being patient.

Therefore, when I implement a prioritized plan with patience, I lessen my clutter and this brings healing to me.

This is the guideline that most represents how nurses use what is called, the nursing process, to care for their patients.  The nursing process is based on identifying a patient’s prioritized needs, and then mapping out the steps to meet those needs so that the best plan of care can be implemented.  Because goals are part of this process, patience is once again being reinforced as a very necessary component for any kind of healing.

Healing requires time. First and foremost for healing to begin, we must slow down, so be patient with yourself and one another!

The Scripture to support CHG #7 is from Matthew 13:47-48, “…a fishing net is thrown into the water and gathers fish of every kind. …sit …sort …and throw the bad ones away.”

What does Matthew 13:47-48 imply as being the root cause of my clutter?

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not have a “fishing net.”
♥ My clutter builds up when I do not know how to gather.
♥ My clutter builds up when I do not have the patience of a fisherman to sit, sort, and throw out the bad.

Therefore, when I know how to “fish”, gather, sit, sort, and throw away, I am in the process of becoming organized, and this lessens my clutter and brings healing to me.

So what does a fishing net and fishing have to do with clutter? 

Until I began getting into God’s Word, I had no clue that Matthew 13:47-48 would be the Scriptural backup for CHG #7, or that it would be so descriptive of how I have taught clients about the organizing process.  Through Jesus’ story of the fishing net, I came to the realization that getting organized is just like going fishing. So not only does CHG #7 best reflect the nursing process, its Scriptural reference best describes the organizing process too! 

Look up Matthew 13:47-48 in your Life Recovery Bible and you will see the context in which this Scripture was written.  Jesus is telling the parable, or story, of “The Fishing Net” that is compared to the Kingdom of Heaven, and how there will be a process of sorting the wicked from the righteous.  At the end of time, this will be the reality of what happens. So I want to ask you this: Do you know where you want to be when your life has come to an end? 

Your SW this week is to think about this question and to consider the prioritized plans that God has been patiently showing you in His desire to heal you and grow you spiritually.

Next week we will talk about Matthew 13:47-48 as it relates to the practical aspects of getting your “stuff” organized like a fisherman who is fishing.  In preparation, here are some questions to ponder as you think back to your original clutter category. If you need refreshed, then go back to where I first introduced you to the idea of SW.       
                                         
1.  What do you think the net symbolizes?                                                         
2.  What does sitting, sorting, and throwing mean to you as you think about getting yourself organized in this new year?