Practice Organization
For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33 NIV).

There are many benefits to practicing organization. It has actually been proven that keeping things clean and orderly in your life will create room for prosperity. Look around your house.

When you peek inside your pantry, do you hold tightly to the doorknob, guarding against injury from an avalanche of cereal boxes and canned goods? Or perhaps it's a closet door you dread opening. Maybe you can't stand the thought of cleaning out your refrigerator for fear of what might be growing in the container that's been left in there for several months.

Keeping Up With the Clutter
Someone once said that you can tell the state of a person's mind by looking at how clean his or her garage is. (Another person once asked, "Does that mean if I don't have a garage, I don't have a mind?") One businessman I know, after interviewing a potential employee, asked to see the inside of his vehicle. He said if the applicant's car was a total mess and hadn't been cleaned in months, he wouldn't even consider hiring him. Wow!

One article on organization said that the average three-bedroom house contains approximately 350,000 items. However, you can turn a cluttered house into a house of order with just some determination, time, and effort. This may all seem overwhelming to you. How do you begin? One step at a time.

You may want to start with just one room. Professional organizers suggest that you begin by creating a list of what you would like to organize, such as important papers, bills, email messages, dresser drawers, kitchen cupboards, or a linen closet. Then pick one category and concentrate on it. When you've finished with that category, then move on to the next one.

One thing you may want to do is buy some books on organization. I have read several books that have helped me to become more organized. Just recently I hired a professional organizer who came to my house and helped me put things in order.

I've read that one famous millionaire pays someone full time to do nothing but keep things clean and orderly around him. That employee keeps his boss's house and office clean, keeps his papers organized, and maintains order wherever he is. The millionaire says he thinks more clearly when things are well organized. That organization helps create room for prosperity.

Good Habits Save Time
I remember once reading that the average person spends approximately six or seven hours a week looking for things he cannot find, such as important documents and car keys. That means the average person spends 312 hours a year looking for things he can't find. That's 13 full days—almost two entire weeks out of his life that is wasted because he isn't organized. Ouch!

If you will follow this simple plan, it will help you find things much quicker. It's called the "Everything Has a Home" plan, or EHAH, simply meaning that you should designate a home, space, or spot in which to keep each of your belongings.

For example, put your keys in the same place every time you walk in the door. One of my friends designates the outside pocket of her purse only for her keys. That way they are always readily accessible, because they're always in the same spot.

You may also want to designate a place for your television remote control. For example, you might always put it on top of the television when you're done using it. If everyone in the family knows where its "home" is, then you can find it a lot quicker when you need it. In our ministry office, we designate a specific place for every item. This way, each employee knows exactly where to find each item. Have you ever spent hours looking for important documents such as your birth certificate, passport, or insurance papers? It would be a good idea for you to have some sort of a filing system to assign a home for these important documents. Your life will become much more productive as a result.

Inside and Out
Maybe the disorder in your house, office, car, or garage is an outward sign of what's going on inside you. Have you ever thought about that? Do you feel like a mess on the inside? Perhaps it's time to clean up some things, to get your life in order, inside and out. The longer you procrastinate, the harder it will be to make these improvements.

Getting organized may seem so overwhelming to you right now that you're not sure where to begin. Have you ever heard the saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." How do you tackle those piles of paper? One piece at a time! Just start somewhere.

I believe that if we are good stewards over the things the Lord has given us, then He can bless us with more. For example, the car you're driving right now might not be your ultimate dream car. However, if you will take good care of the one you have by keeping it clean, vacuumed, and well maintained, I believe the Lord can bless you with something even better because you are being a good steward with what you have now. This has happened many times in my own life.

If you start taking care of things, you can create room for prosperity. And when God starts giving you the desires of your heart, you need to be grateful by being a good steward over them.

When I was attending Bible school, one of the ministers said something I've never forgotten. "We can tell," he said, "if you're going to make it in the ministry by looking in your dresser drawers."

I remember thinking, Oh, dear God! I'm in big trouble. So I went home and started cleaning! I said to myself, "Well, I'm not as organized as I want to be yet, but that doesn't mean I can't get there. I can change. I may not be perfect, but I can certainly make some changes at becoming better in this area than I am now."

None of the things I have shared are meant to condemn you, but rather to motivate you to live a more excellent life by developing the habit of organization. Begin the habit of practicing organization. It's one of the success secrets of uncommon achievers.

Kate McVeigh Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.