Your Life Behind the Scenes

Your Life Behind the Scenes-an excerpt from The Gentle Ways of a Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund

Where is the real you? It's deep inside of you, where your thinking and deciding really take place. Your life is like a wheel, with the hub the true center of who you really are. The rim is all the places where your life touches this world, where there's apt to be plenty of friction, heat and dust.

But in the center is the true you. If you have made God your highest priority of all, he is there. You are learning to abide in Him, and He in you. there is calm, there is peace. He is your refuge, to which you continually run. He is organization, and living in Him you sense control and plan. He is spirit-your living and breathing, your laughter and tears- and all of it becomes holy because His spirit is holy. Wonderful! Alleluia!

If this is true, your mental and emotional life should reflect his presence, whether there's nobody around but you, or kids everywhere. "Whatever is true, ....honorable, ....right, ......pure,......lovely, .....of good repute...let your mind dwell on these things." (Phil 4:8)

Also if this is true (that God is at your life center) then you immediate surroundings ought also to reflect him. Your immediate surroundings - your drawers, closets, your bedside table, your desk - are the filmiest clothing of you most personal, private life. Even if you have tem children, those arease should be your alone, and they should reflect the order and peace of your inner life with God.
-End of excerpt from book



So now with this new challenge before us, let us reflect God's glory and holy order in our homes. Today we will start with our bedrooms. This is our most personal space. This is where we sleep, cuddle, dress, read, etc. Start from your door and go to the right. Stop at the very first thing your feet or eyes get to. Mine is a pile of 2 bins filled with toys. I did say this was the Master bedroom didn't I? Ok clean up that first area! If you have fininshed quickly continue on. Try to spend about 15-30 minutes on this. Throw away! Put away. Don't move piles! OK 1...2...3....GO!