Tapestry of Contentment:The Thread of Order
“Give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what You command, and live by Your directions and counsel.” 1 Chronicles 29:19
Welcome back!! By now, I pray that you have provided yourselves with the opportunity to sort out much of the clutter and chaos that is your life. No? Me neither. But I’m working on it. Nook by nook, crannie by crannie and dust bunny by dust bunny. Therefore, with the hope of providing some inspiration…I’ll confess that I have been on the de-cluttering journey for about a year and a half. With that said, I have come to realize that, as with all good things, it takes time and perserverance to simplify our lives, to unclutter them, to obtain some semblance of order within them.
But I’ll be honest. It is my personal belief that there is only one thing, that stands between having order, calm, peace, quiet and tranquility in our lives….and it’s not that never dusted china cabinet full of knick knacks from a decade ago….it is something much simpler than that…something that can only be found in God’s Word.
According to James 1:8 “a doubleminded man (woman)is unstable (having a sense of disorderliness, having no sense of calm, no sense of peace or tranquility, no quietness) in all he (she) does”. Because, as Paul says, “… I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3
“Simple, pure devotion to Christ – that’s the prescription for a life in balance.”
~Annie Chapman~
Heavenly Father, help us to pay attention to your words and to listen closely to what you say. May we continue to keep our eyes focused on You as you guide us in the ways of wisdom and lead us on the right path. For you have promised that nothing can hold us back and that we will not be overwhelmed, as long as we always remember what You have taught us. We pray for that thread of order Lord, in our lives, that can only come by having one heart and one mind only for you Dear Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Why do we find it so hard to believe that the key to peace and contentment is so simple? Indeed, it always seems we must get organized, find the perfect schedule, have a clean house, acheive our goals, in order to be happy. But no. It’s in being still and knowing He is God, slipping to our knees, pondering His words. Thanks for this.
AMEN to that prayer. Order, having one mind in Christ is my heart’s desire today. Thank you for this post.
Sissy,
This is lovely. It is also a timely message because I seem to get so busy with stupid stuff during this time of year. When all I really want to do is enjoy the simple things with my Savior and family.
Wonderful as always, thanks, Lynn Happy Thanksgiving!!
Yes – contentment is found in Him all the time. Thank you for the reminder.
I have to admit – I have our guest bedroom on the schedule to be uncluttered for over a year – I just don’t have the motivation to do it…I hope I get to it this holiday season..
Thank you Sissy for sharing your wonderful thoughts this morning.
You know, He has a way of leading me to get rid of half of everything, not because getting rid of stuff will get me organized, but because in the process I always remember just how much He has provided and remember that only by leaning on Him alone can I be content. (And that was a rather long sentence, sorry.) But really, it is a matter of refocusing and not really decluttering that draws my mind back to Him. It is the process that helps me remember Him in everything. Hmm, I also notice that it is after those times that we suddenly have an inflx of blessings. i realize that the cleaning out and grettin rid of is a picture of pruning and that after pruning comes blessing (with the added benefit of havin room for the new things that others decide we need blessed with. :))
Thank you for this Sissy. What a wonderful truth to share at the beginning of the getting season. 🙂
🙂
it is only as we are completely focused on Christ and allowing Him to completely fill us with Him and as we allow Him to enable us to live and walk the path He created for us that we find that calm and peace deep in the center of our souls and hearts 🙂
now … may i continuously remember to keep my eyes and ears and mouth and heart and mind and body completely and wholly focused on Him!