Organization Secret: Calm is in flexibility, not perfection

Our Family, complete with extras - by Carl

I am still trying to find out what a perfect day would look like. You know the kind that finds you energetically (because you exercised early that morning)visiting with a friend in your squeaky clean house (because you keep it that way), while your well-behaved (because you are a perfect parent) children gleefully play(because they finished all their school work by noon), in your beautiful yard (because landscaping is a hobby of yours), not worrying about what’s for dinner (because you have already made it), simply sharing the over-flow of your heart (because you regularly take time to commune with your God).

That kind of day is what dreams are made of. It is good to have dreams and goals. They are the target to aim at. Paul told the Philippians that God, who began the work  (of conforming them to Christ’s image) in them, would perform it until the day of Jesus Christ’s return. It is a never-ending process to be perfect, so don’t get discouraged; just keep shooting at that target.

Our house bumps along between church activities, homeschooling, sports, laundry, home business management, (more laundry), housekeeping, meals, etc. With eight people coming and going that need a ride, or the car, (or $5), we try to maintain some level of “normal.” Each family has their own definition of “normal’ though. You have different blanks to fill in.

A daily goal is to make Plan B (or C, D, E,….. ) look as well as Plan A. It won’t work as well, but it might be a learning experience. The key to making it work as well, is in being flexible. If your apple cart is upset and you are angrily tossing the apples back in the wagon, you are missing an opportunity to be flexible.  A mom’s attitude really does make a HUGE difference in her household.

The truth is we all needed to sort all those apples anyway. We probably didn’t plan to do it then, but since it needs to be done, and God has allowed your apples to be scattered all over the road, just do it – with a smile, and teach your children that you can still find joy and meaning in a life that isn’t perfect.

I am so glad to know that while I have limitations, my God doesn’t. He is never surprised by the events that happen in my day. He allows them – sometimes they are the consequences of my own failure (I can’t find my keys because I didn’t take the time to put them away), and sometimes they are a test (think about Job), and sometimes they are God-ordained appointments that put me a a place where I can minister to someone else or be ministered to. 

Go ahead and plan your day looking toward perfection. But when that monkey-wrench comes sailing into your plans, that is the time to fall apart, break-down and have a good cry, be stalled in to doing nothing….. (just kidding)

Remain calm, be flexible, but most of all TRUST your loving Father. He will strengthen you to do exactly what He wants you to do.  He might want you to answer the door to the neighbor who needs you to watch her children, in your unkept house, while you worry about how you will make dinner, as your children fight over who will pick up the dog poo, so they can play in the yard and be another day behind in math and history.