Purge with Passion

While writing this book, I would explain to people what my book was about—organizing principles from a Christian perspective—and was often asked the question, “What does Christianity have to do with organizing?” That is a fair question and one I originally asked myself. But it’s not the right question. The questions we should be asking are, “Does organization have a part to play in Christianity, and if so, what is it?”
In all honesty, the book you are holding in your hands wasn’t the book I started writing when I began. I had no idea the journey God would take me on to reorder my own thinking and priorities so I would place the focus and direction of what you are about to read where it rightly belongs. And where is that exactly? Well, it begins, as everything does, at the beginning.
God’s Perfect Order
When God created the world we live in, it was in perfect order. And it was good. Life was full of all that mattered and was necessary: a close relationship with God, healthy relationships with other people, productive and meaningful work, an abundance of good food and time to relax and enjoy God and His creation.
The problem is we messed that order up, and sadly, we continue to do so. The result is chaos, disorder and wrong priorities. But God loves us and hasn’t forsaken us. He wants to rescue us and set His world to rights.
In the Old Testament, through Abraham, God established His plan to restore blessing back to His creation, and this culminated in the New Testament with Him sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem the earth and restore it to its original order. Jesus is God’s plan to rescue creation. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God has given us an opportunity to become a new creation. Instead of living life for ourselves, we now live for Jesus.
Organization and God’s Plan to Rescue the World
When you place Jesus at the very center of your world and commit to serving Him, the decisions you make about the way you live your life, how you spend your time, what you choose to spend your money on, and the importance of the stuff you own should all line up with His way of doing things.
We live in an age where, if we are not careful, our possessions and schedules will control us rather than the other way around. Was it ever God’s intention for us to live this way? We can see clearly that from the beginning that it was not. All throughout the Bible, we find examples of how to live a more purpose-filled life; one that’s simpler and ultimately less cluttered, where our priorities are in order with the bigger picture. Take a look at Luke 10:38–42.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
This is a classic situation where the busyness of life is robbing someone of the very thing that matters most. Don’t get me wrong—there is a time to do the work necessary for everyday living. The problem was that Martha was so caught up in it that she didn’t know how to pause in order to spend precious time with Jesus and hear what He had to say to her. Her priorities were all off, and she couldn’t even see it! She felt so strongly about her position that she even petitioned Jesus to get her sister to do the same thing! At that moment, even though Jesus was right there in her midst, she was missing the point. Yet how many of us are so caught up in our own lives and stuff and all that we are doing that we too are missing the very purpose for which we are here?
Getting and staying organized is about much more than throwing things away and moving stuff around to better fit the available space. You have probably tried that in the past. You’ve probably read numerous organizing books and have spent many hours pulling stuff out of cabinets and closets, tossing out what you could and rearranging what was left. More than likely, you have tried many different schedulers, planners, and calendars all in a valid attempt to get on top of the things you need to get done. But it hasn’t worked! Why is that? Because you are still at the center of your own world, and until you firmly place Jesus there, you will be missing the point.
Jesus died for you! You were bought at a price and owe it to Him to live according to the plan God has laid out in His Word. You weren’t designed to have it all and do it all. You have been given certain gifts and talents, and you have a unique contribution to make. It is your responsibility to allow God to reshape and reorient your priorities so that He may help you untangle your mess.
You aren’t just getting organized for the sake of having things in their place and so you may be more efficient. You are getting organized so that you, your stuff, your money, and your time are available to Him to use as He sees fit to carry out His plan to restore order to the world.