Lately, I've been reflecting on the topic of "organization" - living an orderly, well-managed life in every respect. Organization is something that's never been easy for me. I should say, it's something that's never been for me. I go from day to day "reinventing the wheel" so to speak - always trying to discover the best way to keep up with myself and the things I have to accomplish as a busy mom, housewife, ministry leader, freelancer, homeschooler, cook, laundry maid, and whatever else I'm sure I've forgotten.

While I constantly deal with my "management-challenged" lifestyle, I also combat the desire for complete perfection in all aspects of my life at all times. So that makes me a disorganized perfectionist. I suppose this could explain a lot of my troubles.

So here's how I've always handled myself. Once the messy life gets too stressful, I muster up my will-power and courage and attack everything at once: schedule, paperwork, housework. I work tirelessly until everything is completely?.perfect.

And then, three days later, I need to do the whole thing again. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Cause it's tiring, and it always needs to be done again! If I could have my perfect life, everything would be done perfectly all the time. The fact that this work needs continual doing - so in a sense, never reaching finality or perfection - just drives me crazy. I just don't know how anyone lives out well-managed days without taking years off their life from the stress of it all.

But oddly enough, the people that I know or that I've read about who live out the organized life don't look like they're stressing or struggling. They look peaceful and? sane. So what are they doing that I'm not? Or what do they know that I'm missing out on?

Wisdom and faithfulness. It's faithfulness in practicing wisdom that separates the peaceful, well-ordered life from the tiring, chaotic one.

Proverbs 3:13;16 says this about wisdom: "Blessed is the [wo]man who finds wisdom, the [wo]man who gains understanding? [Wisdom's] ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace." That's definitely what I need. But it's not enough to be "wise" once a week. Another ingredient in staying organized and truly finding peace is faithfulness.

Faithfulness: a word that God repeatedly associates with his own character. Psalm 119:89-91 says this: "Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you." Everything God does is done faithfully. He is faithfulness because he is eternal. Being like him, even in the daily grind, is the surest path I can take to the truly peaceful and fruitful life I'm looking for.

So it's not just doing something correctly once, or even every once in a while. In fact, that's only been the mark of my foolishness. I take the same ineffective measures in the hopes of creating lasting change, but in the end I accomplish nothing. It's doing what's right consistently - day in and day out - that will lead me to peace.

So what am I going to do now? I'm going to start by rejoicing that the things I need are already mine in Christ. Faithfulness is a gift through God's Spirit in me (Galatians 5:22). Wisdom is something that God gives freely to those who are seeking it and ask Him for it (Proverbs 3:13; James 1:5). Instead of reinventing the wheel every several days and driving myself crazy with disorder, I'm going to try something new: apply each piece of wisdom I receive as faithfully as I can. And I'll watch my life change, one day at a time.