Organized for Success

For some people, organizational skills come easily. Their lives are free from clutter, and they consistently practice the old maxim, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

However, I’m much too creative for a clutter-free life. At least that is my excuse.

But I’ll admit, I often get envious of well-organized people. It must be nice to find things in your office without having to sort through endless piles.

Yes, I’m creative. Lots of projects. Lots of piles.

And if I had more time, I would tell you about my use of Post-it notes to compile to-do lists.

I’ve had to face a sad conclusion: People like me need a Genesis 1:2 kind of experience. The earth back then was “formless,”  the Bible says. Everything was chaotic and disorderly.

Boy, can I relate.

But God in His mercy intervened in the messy situation of Genesis 1:2: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

Organizationally challenged people like me are in desperate need of God’s Spirit to bring some semblance of order out of the chaos.

Help us, Lord.

Fortunately, the Bible is full of stories of God putting things in order in preparation for a new move of His Spirit:

  • God gave precise instructions for how Noah should construct the ark.
  • The Israelites were organized into distinct tribes and clans.
  • The Lord gave Moses an elaborate pattern for how to build the tabernacle.
  • Before the prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven, he first made sure the altar was prepared.
  • Jesus divided the huge, unruly crowd into orderly units of 50 people before He multiplied the loaves and fish.
  • The Holy Spirit brought together the early church as a multifunctional, many-membered body—a living organism composed of people with diverse gifts.

The good news is that there’s hope for people like me. But the only  hope is in recognizing two vital facts: (1) We desperately need the help of the Holy Spirit if we’re ever to get things in order, and (2) We desperately need our fellow believers to bolster the weak areas in our lives. Where I am weak, you may be strong. We need each other!

So, don’t despair. God wants you to be more successful than ever before—and He will help you with the organizational challenges along the way.

I may even be able to throw away my Post-it notes someday.

1 Comment

  1. Justin Hegwood

    Great post Jim! Thanks for the reminder that we can’t depend on ourselves to make it happen.

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