Contentment? What's that?

I have been chatting with Heather today. We both want to make big changes this year and need accountability. We also need ideas. Let's face it, if we were Oprah, we could just hire our personal chef and trainer, have the house redecorated, buy a new car instead of fixing the old one, etc. But, we're not Oprah. So, that means we have to do stuff ourselves, and find budget-friendly ways to do it.

I still think this falls under the category of "Fourth Quarter Comebacks" Although I hope I am not yet in my fourth quarter, the principle applies. We have messes, and we need to fix them. And we need to do it sooner rather than later.

So, she and I purpose to work together this year with whomever will join us to set attainable goals, hold each other accountable for our progress, cheer each other on when it seems like the only thing in the world that will fix a horrible day is a big giant vanilla coke from Sonic. We would love to have the support and input of our Bible Study friends, but certainly don't want this to become a chore for you! If you want to actively participate, please do! If you want to just read and comment, feel free. If you want to pretend that this idea never came up, I wouldn't blame you a bit.

What does this have to do with contentment, you ask? Something just occurred to me. Most of the stress I feel (other than health-related stuff) is because I can't find things, I have clutter around me all the time, I feel like things are out of control. I get that. What I just realized is how that contributes to my feeling of discontent. And feelings of wanting more, bigger, better.

I just put some bread on to bake, and was in my pantry trying to extricate a bag of flour from the four or five different kinds I have packed onto the top shelf. Dangerous stuff. When we moved here, and I organized my pantry, I put the few feeble baking supplies I had on the top shelf. I was a career woman! I loved to cook, but who had time!? Now I am a stay-at-home-Super-(step)-Mom-Extraordinaire, and I need that stuff. And I need it where I can access it without risk of head trauma.

Immediately, my mind jumped to the grand plan I have to knock out a wall in my pantry, join it to my laundry room and make one ginormous utility room. But I can't afford that. Then it occurred to me that I really need to just devote an afternoon to reorganizing my pantry. So, it doesn't work as it is. Big deal. There is still plenty of room there. I just need to make it work for us now. I need to be content.

I began to wonder...I am often discontent, wanting more, wondering if I should be out working rather than staying at home, but do I even:

1. Know all the things I have? I am always finding things I forgot I even had, often broken, expired or useless from being forgotten.
2. Use and love the things I have?
3. Take care of the things I have? Sure, I'd love a new house (and I always picture it looking just like a model home, even though it'll have all my junk in it, not their fancy stuff), but what about my house? Am I taking care of it? I need to paint, repair trim, etc.
   
4. Realize that we are paying a mortgage on a home to store stuff? And getting more stuff makes me think I need more room. I wonder what the "rent" is on the items that I am holding onto needlessly, that "necessitate" me living in 2600 s.f. when 1500 would probably work. (think IKEA)

Organize. Purge. Clean. Repair. Repurpose. (Don't just throw it away! Make it useful!) Reduce. Reprioritize. And finally....Glorify God. Remember that it is by His power that we accomplish any of these things and all of them should be purposed toward serving Him, and being better stewards of what He has given us so generously.

These are our goals, as I see them. Feel free to beat us up about them and keep us on track. And let me know if you want to join in! Heather and I thought we might try to get together next week and set some short-term goals. The more the merrier! (hint, hint, Ellen, the Organizing Queen)