Monday, May 11, 2015

Pushing Through the Stuff


 
Forget the former things;
Do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
And streams in the wasteland.
-Isaiah 43:18 & 19
 
 
I have a confession to make today.  It's Monday morning and something about a new week makes me want to fix everything that's amiss in my world.  However, since it took me a lifetime to get here it would take me another lifetime to really accomplish what I would like to get done.
 
Here's the thing.  I am a clutter bug.  
 
Give me a flat surface and I can cover it with stuff in a matter of hours.  And then ignore that stuff for days... weeks... sometimes even months.  Unless company is coming and then I stuff it away in the room we jokingly call the office. 
 
"So what are you doing today?" Friend Judy will ask.
 
"I'm working on the office.".  She howls.
 
The truth of it is... and maybe you have this issue, too... Life just keeps coming and coming.  And Life brings STUFF.  And the people who leave, leave us their stuff to do something with.  It all has to be sorted because there might be some great family treasure in that box.  Indeed, I have found some things I'm truly glad I was able to save.  And stash away in another box. 
 
Those of us who think with the right side of our brains have a real challenge when it comes to the organization of the stuff.  It drives the left-brained people crazy.  Like my husband.  I know this is why opposites attract.  He is the organizer of the western world.  The only thing I can organize successfully is words.  Often, the accumulation of the other stuff just gets overwhelming.  Too many times I have to clear a space on the desk to be able to write something. 
 
There has to be a way through this desert.  As I put my head on my pillow last night, I talked to God about it.  As He so often does, He gave me a thought in my spirit.  Actually two thoughts.  The first was prioritize.  OK.  I will do my best with that.
 
And then, from the things I've been reading and studying in the past few days came this one: meditate on God's Word.  It's the answer to everything.  Get alone with the Word and spend the time.  And then prioritize the tasks until they're done, one by one.
 
Through this maze of messiness... this desert of disorganization... this pile of papers that must be sorted... settling my spirit through listening to God in quiet meditation... that's the stream through this wasteland.
 
He is making a way in my desert.
 
What is the desert in your life that needs a quiet touch from God's Word?