Finding Contentment

An orderly life

Vacation Bible School is officially over (this is a photo of the younger kids singing), we have been working on catching up on some things that needed to be done around the house, and the garden is still producing a few veggies. Life is good despite its hardships.

Perhaps the best thing for our family lately has been our change in attitude. Mark and I made a decision. We were in the process of buying a home when Mark lost his job. The loss of our "dream" has been very hard for us, and we have been in a state of uncertainty ever since. Would we be able to buy a home when Mark found another job? How long would that be? Should we keep making improvements to this home? The uncertainty was driving us nuts and causing us to become somewhat depressed over the weeks. But now, we have made a decision to take everything one day at a time. We will no longer wonder about our future. Instead we will assume - for now, at least - that we will be in the same spot forever.

Chances are that we won't be here forever, but not knowing whether it would be months or years before we moved just created too many problems. If nothing else, we are pretending we will be here forever. That allows us a definate direction. If and when God leads us elsewhere, we will go and not look back. If he doesn't, we will follow his plan for us here.

That may not seem like a big deal to some people, but Mark and I have always liked to have everything planned out in our lives. Things may happen and those plans may not always be followed (one must be flexible, as well), but just having a plan or a goal gives us stability.

I was trying to explain this over dinner a couple of nights ago to a couple of good friends. As we finished off the last of the squash casserole, the talk centered around this new decision we had made. As I neatly folded my napkin into a perfect rectangle while I talked, I realized that the other couple had waded theirs up beside their plate. Then I looked at Mark's, which was folded into a perfect square. And it all made sense. We were fiddling with our napkins while we talked, but Mark and I wanted needed to have our napkins folded - like our lives - in an orderly and planned manner. While our friends, who are very spontaneous, needed theirs to be waded up and going in all different directions. Making a decision, even if it later changes, allowed that order back into our lives.

At the risk of straying off topic, I want to point out that I think this makes for a great friendship. We keep the other couple from being too spontaneous and never planning anything, while they teach us that not everything in life does have to be planned!

And one more sidenote:  Just because we like our lives planned and orderly does not mean that our house is always oderly! When my life gets busy the house often gets let go, and when Mark's life gets busy the yard gets let go. Because our lives have been so unorderly lately, the house has been, too. That's why I was so excited to win FlyLady's CDs in a recent giveaway on a blog. I am considering trying to use her program for an clean, orderly home, and hope the CDs will motivate and inspire me. Thank you, Mrs. L! I can't wait until they get here!