THE POWER OF PRIORITIES

Life can be messy,

but it is beautiful too.

So let’s realign when needed,

and do what we were born to do.

In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss this topic of priorities. I start by asking God this question, How do I clean this mess?

I also share that you can tell a lot about my week and even my mental state by how my laundry pile looks by Friday. I lived with my aunt for several years in my 20s and she taught me so much including this tip… a load of laundry a day keeps the… I would like to say pile away but you know how that goes. Seriously though, she would start one each morning before work and her system was one I still remember and use today. Therefore, many times, I have stayed up on the laundry doing 1-2 loads a day so by Friday I give myself a break and allow the basket to be left unfolded and untouched until the weekend. Except the weeks…

where I allow the emotions to pile up…

they are often also the weeks my laundry piles up too. In fact, I wrote this after a week where I had 4 loads to fold plus one in the wash and one in the dryer. Then, a friend came over and I made a joke that was sort of true too about that overflowing laundry. I told her what I just mentioned above…

You can tell a lot about my week by how my laundry pile looks by Friday. 

4-6 loads undone

And that’s not even getting into those beyond messy dresser drawers that I face when putting the laundry away… (Does anyone else’s family’s dressers look like there was a scavenger hunt in each drawer?)

Messy isn’t even the word…

But messy can be beautiful too right? Or creative… creative minds often make messes right? Just some mindset shifting over here…

4-6 loads undone

While it is often unheard of here, do you want to know why and how this happened? I froze at the face of anxiety and fears instead of jumping into the discomfort of a new season, and of stepping out of my comfort zone, in God’s comfort and in His arms.

It was right before this podcast launched. 

Listen this was and is brand new for me.

I don’t know how to edit 

I don’t even really know how to speak 

But… 

Have you ever felt so strongly that you know you are called to do something but that it is impossible in your own strength? I mean doesn’t that mean it forces our stubbornness to do it in God’s strength…

to surrender it fully to Him and lean into His power and strength. That is where we need to be doing it all the time…

In God’s strength. In His embrace.

Still life happens. We slip up. I slipped up so how do we recover and get back … 

because life can feel like that laundry that piles and piles and piles leading us to a space where we don’t know where to start in fixing it -

Okay here is the thing, in every moment we can…

1) Pause

2) Regroup

3) Allow rest 

(Exhaustion is not going to help anyone or anything but maybe stir up some arguments which is not good for any of us.) 

4) Recognize that every moment holds the chance for whatever it needs to be. It is our choice. It can be a moment for an excuse, or an opportunity, to regroup, or for whatever… it is our choice.

Consider asking these questions…

-What needs to get done?

-What does not need to get done?

-What can be moved to tomorrow?

Prioritize:

-What is most important?

-What is most important to God? 

I think of how many events can consume a week. I find that it was always like that even before kids. However, it just looks differently. Now with kids, the days are filled with family events, sports events, church events, appointments, birthday parties, etc. We need to often regroup and realign. When the schedule becomes too much, like recently, my husband and I need to sit down, pray and think about…

What are we not willing to compromise? 

-Church - necessary!

But what about the third birthday party of the weekend, for a friend our child barely knows… it is okay to say no. And while I try not to do that, partly because I always want kids to feel special and have people come to their parties, I have learned what helps. What has helped me is this… Pray about it. Even if you can’t be there, pray that the party is a blessing. We are not meant to do, or even capable of doing, everything. And that is okay. It is why there are so many of us in this world. We can’t do everything ourselves. What a relief to lay down that unrealistic expectation at the feet of Jesus. Help me Lord prioritize.

Therefore, The Art of a Messy House challenge/reflection this week is this…

Reflect: Do I have a planner or a calendar? Do I need one? Do I need to use it more? I love having a monthly calendar of my own and also one we have hanging on a white board in our kitchen for the family. I also find it helpful to breakdown each week and day, not all at once though… week by week instead.

Pray about it and over each week. I probably should have always been doing this but recently started. God, help me write this list based on what you want me to do this week or today.  

Here is a method I use, as well as tips that I share more about in this week’s episode too.

1) Write out what needs to be done - the apts, etc. Then add in the other stuff that can be shifted around.

2) Don’t overwhelm the list

3) Make it practical. For example, I knew I would spend a lot of time practicing with recordings at first before the podcast launch so I put that down for two-three weeks on my lists in February. I gave myself time for mistakes and time to learn.

4) I really like and have learned to put less on each daily list because it often allows me to go into tomorrow’s list and what a great feeling that is.

5) Be flexible. I typically like to do the lifting part before the treadmill part of my workout but if I think the baby may wake up soon, I may adjust it to do what I know I won’t be able to do when he wakes. It is good for our minds to switch things up too.  

6) Another thing is I try to do what I know I will find the most excuses for or maybe what I don’t enjoy doing, first. I work out daily but it is not my favorite thing. I like the feeling afterwards and I know it’s good for my health to be active but getting started is a challenge. That is why after I pray and read the Bible, I often work out first. It is a way to get it over with so that I don’t find excuses of why I can’t later.

7) And this is important too, try not to avoid the issue. Is there something distracting you? Bothering you? Is God prompting you to do something that is out of your comfort zone? In fact, if God prompted you to do that thing, make it a priority!

With the podcast launch, I prayed, I rested and knew I needed to move my focus to it and getting it done first. During nap time, which is when I do most of my recordings, I found myself saying let me quickly post on social media to cross that off my list, which was NOT what I needed to be doing. A pause in obedience is not full obedience. But…

Here is what I’ve learned and continue to learn…

When we use our time obediently for what God calls us to do, it is like He multiples the time.

It makes me think of the parable of the fish and the loaves…

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭21‬)‬‬

The goodness of God exceeds our understanding and our expectations. He wants to satisfy our physical hunger but also that of our hearts and we do that by serving Him and surrendering to Him what we have. He provides everyone with what they need.

He can meet all of our needs

including our time when we allow Him to.

Everything else aligns 

when we seek God first

not our lists.

To hear and learn more about this message on prioritizing with the Lord, check out episode 6 of The Art of a Messy House podcast now available on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

It will cover…

Weeding Out the Distractions:
What is distracting us? What does God want us to do more of ? Less of? How do we make room for what God is doing?

Prioritizing life: This is a reflection on the principle of priorities and how our priorities in life must have God first. 

Walking on mission right here right now:

Ask yourself: What do you see or notice that other may not? What burdens your heart? Pray about it. Prioritize your life and make room for what God is guiding you to do.

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV)‬‬

So back to that laundry pile, that overflowing laundry pile, or to those times when life just is piling up on us, let’s remember this- we can ask for help. There are people who want to help. Ask God to provide those people in your life. I promise you they exist, people that will pray, people that will help, people that will pour into you, people that want your best.

People who have have your best interest in mind DO exist. When facing that pile, pause to allow yourself time to fix it.

Give yourself time to sort it out.

Don’t keep running and avoiding it.

Give yourself time but give yourself grace too. Show yourself love.

Celebrate each part of the pile that gets cleaned up. Celebrate each step. Celebrate even the start because life can get messy but in all those messes there’s so much beauty too, and you my friend are part of that very beauty. 

Dear God,

I come to You first. I seek You. Help me prioritize. Help me remove things that are not from You. Help me realign my life to be focused on You and what You have called me to do so that the stuff doesn’t pile up. Even in this moment, if there is the pile up, help me sort it out, Provide people that will come and help me. Fill our lives with Your goodness. It is everywhere, so open our eyes to see Your goodness even when it is messy. May we not avoid what You call us to do but instead may we walk on mission. May we make room for You and what You have for us? May we live on mission. Set a fire in us. Provide us the strength. Humble us enough to stand in Your strength, and empower us to fight the fear, the discomfort and sort through the piles, all to give You the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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God bless!