Monday, January 6, 2014

The Closet That Holds Everything

It's normal after the excesses of the holiday season to toss out, consolidate, sort and otherwise organize our stuff. Finding places to put everything is somewhat of a challenge for us 'first-worlders'. We have so much and where to put it?

Organizing twenty pairs of shoes is a snap, however, compared to organizing the mind. There I run into a snag very similar to the problem of the clutter I must weed though in my house. Things which I cannot understand are like odds and ends out of place. They can block my peace of mind and drain away my energy. Often, there are circumstances I cannot control and even more puzzling is the question of what to do with the regret and disappointment that I myself have caused.

Many people use a system of organization for their possessions. I believe a system of organization exists for those errant thoughts as well. It is found in the Bible. "For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." All things? Could this be an awfully big and accommodating closet into which I can put all the troubling thoughts and events of life? In fact, it seems that after I've put in everything I can think of, there's still room for more. That physical disability, those youthful decisions, that money problem, those pesky relatives. Far from taking away every problem, this filing system merely relegates thoughts to the wisdom of God. A safe harbor, a balm for the slings and arrows of life.

God has promised that every part of this life is to be somehow crafted into good. Astounding. Open the door, please, I'm throwing in my disbelief.