Store aisles in January are packed with all kinds of stuff designed to help us keep one of our favorite New Year’s resolutions: to get organized.
A friend of ours recently hopped on the resolution bandwagon and began cleaning out a closet in his office. My husband and I happened to walk in and witness the organizational carnage in process, as our friend’s office was littered with a boatload of papers that had to be sorted one at a time. Perfectly capturing the essence of the scene before us, Joe wryly asked, “What happened? Did your closet throw up?”
GETTING organized isn’t always easy, but it’s almost always worth it. When life gets chaotic, it sure is nice to have something – anything – in our world that is orderly. That’s why, although I own all kinds of purses, my favorite everyday tote is a brown leather monstrosity, shaped like a giant kidney bean, that is loaded with nifty pockets and compartments.
When I first got this purse, I felt like I was in organizing paradise. I found pouches and slots for everything from my checkbook to chewing gum.
Function over beauty, for sure, but it makes me feel like at least one piece of my world is under control…or at least it did until the day when I was in a big hurry to get someplace and I couldn’t find my car keys.
I knew they were somewhere in my big brown purse, but they weren’t in their special key compartment, so I had to begin rummaging through all the pockets and pouches.
Sound easy? You haven’t seen this purse. It was like trying to find one particular broom closet in the Empire State Building, without any directions. When I eventually found my keys inadvertently stuffed in one of the most obscure pockets of my handbag, I began to question whether having so many fancy schmancy compartments was actually a good idea.
As always, there’s a life lesson to be gleaned here.
Sometimes we compartmentalize our lives so much that we end up leaving God out altogether, or at best, stuffing Him into a pocket so obscure we forget He’s even there. We don’t want God mixed up with our finances, relationships, hobbies, or jobs, so we zip Him up in a little religious pouch, wanting to pull Him out only when it’s convenient…or we’re really desperate.
We don’t want to be labeled a religious whacko and we’re pretty sure that’s what’ll happen if we let Jesus out of His little compartment. Neat, tidy, controlled religion feels a whole lot more comfortable and safe.
But God hates it. His intent is to lovingly invade and inhabit every part of our lives, and, whether we know it or not, we desperately need that.
“Organizing” God right out of our daily lives is a huge mistake. He’s simply too big and too important to be stuffed into a pocket, closet or corner.
We were created to enjoy (yes, ENJOY!) the conscious blessing of His constant presence. Anything less isn’t really living at all.
“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…” (John 1:9-12)