“Order is heaven’s first law”.
How often did we hear those words from our mother Iso? “A place for everything and everything in its place.”
If I’m nuts abut things being kept in order or put in order when and where they are not, blame her. I must admit, though, that I’ve mellowed with age. I can be proud of the fact that perfectionism has lost all appeal to me. Now I only want to do things well, the best that I can, every time I should. But I enjoy the freedom of no longer seeking to do things perfectly. I’m prepared to wait for heaven.
While I wait, I seek to do things in order, put things in order, keep things in order, for order is heaven’s first law. The end of my craving after perfection did not offer liberty from having things done properly, the best that I can.
So what do I seek more of in 2022? More order of course!
So don’t try to push me to take on anything that comes with haphazardness. I’m too old for that and it’s nearly impossible to teach this old dog that new trick- that it’s OK to live inside of a mess, that it’s stimulating to work in the midst of disorder, that people and places can remain messy and expect me to find pleasure in their mess. I’ve been reared on this diet of orderliness for nearly seven decades, after all!
Yes, I value spontaneity. I can shut off the agenda any day I choose but even then, there must be a method to it. I cannot cancel the appointments that took other persons’ time and effort in planning. Rest has its place and value, yes; but resting at other people’s expense is still something I detest. That’s where the love of order can make life harder, rather than easier. That’s why I’m still hoping to teach some more about order, to make it easier for more of us. I want to help those I influence to understand that cooperation is part of the larger picture of order. You don’t have to like a clean place as I do, but if you and I can accomplish our part of the task, that’s enough order for me for 2022.
So, for my benefit, I will apply a more ordered approach to completing a certain task that I did not for the last five years, because of adjustments to mess that I didn’t create. In 2022 I will only mess up those who try to re-write my agenda with emergencies that derive from their lack of order, because this year, if I live through it, I have an unfinished task to complete. And its completion will prove that I am really as ordered as I claim to be.
Lord, I pray you, help me manage the unnecessary stress of the beyond-me mess, so that my ordered life work reflects the beauty of your peace. Amen