In Place
Our one rule at the house is “Everything in its place!” I use to have 12 rules, then 8. Now I am determined that the “Everything in its place” rule, could fit for anything! It was one of many methods a teacher used in her classroom so I transferred it straight to the house! Try it. Trash, dirty clothes, toys, etc. out of place, piling up, creating chaos. Fighting, arguing, smirks, and tempers…confusion, aggravations, unfairness….all put in place. Imagine it. Hands, heart, mind and mouth put in place early in the a.m. and you’ve got yourself a pretty good day ahead even with the kids at home for the Summer! Plan it…. Fifteen minutes of reading a good book begins the day with ease and teaches the process of a quiet time before flipping tech stuff on. I also use this as quality time to speak quietly to the boys and have taught them to think about their hands, heart, mind and mouth. I remind them these things need to get “in place”. The problems of yesterday do not have to be the problems we have today! Hitting every chance they get and calling each other a “loser” or whatever, will be replaced with honesty and working it out through talking. When they get out of line, their place will become a confined bedroom. When they do well with the rule, their place will be an outing, etc.
Next, another fifteen minutes of helping around the house, gets everything in perspective of the responsibility to pick up after “ourselves.” I do the same things I’m telling them to do…Beds are made (we use simple comforters and labeled crates for toys that stay in their closets so they can put things in place fairly easy.) Each person clears their own mess away and puts things back or in place after playing, eating or changing clothes; though this is expected, it doesn’t always get abided by perfectly. I have to choose to be happy that things are getting put in place even when it’s not exactly how I do it. Some things can wait til tomorrow if you know what I mean! The key is that everything will find it’s place. There are times it feels like it’s taken us all week to do this! Using some simple organizing clean up books can help achieve this per Deven Vasco! Pets are taken care of with their food/water bowls cleaned and put in place. Our youngest gives Ardo (our maltizoo dog) a bath and our middle child takes care of the skinks. He had four little blue tailed skinks hatch recently! Our oldest takes care of the trash and they all have laundry and kitchen duty on certain days. Thursdays are for special projects (this requires finding solutions for others) in the yard or anything deemed necessary by Dad or Mom. Once they helped a neighbor move something heavy… James Dobson suggests to pay children their age number per week for chores and that’s what we’ve adopted for over four years now during Summer months. But there are many things they do not get paid for. When everything finds it’s place we know what peace feels like again!
“Finally…” When things are out of sorts spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, we’ve got some things we can put on! Ephesians 6 lets us know there are struggles, schemes, and evil forces that we can withstand only when certain things are put “in place”! Mark 12:30 says to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” We find our place in life as we do this. God held not His Son, the One solution to our sin problems, back. He gave. Thankful people do not mind giving! Even our tithe is something we can hold back or give as a way of showing we are interested in His work just like He is interested in us and our work, ideas, and dreams. Everyone knows that when things are out of place, anxiety builds. Bibles are everywhere but unteachable people won’t have a desire to read one- though it alone contains the product that shifts our existence, molds our character, and creates a future for us out of our belief in those words of truth and His plans…for anyone!!! James 3:13-16 says that “humility comes from wisdom but harboring bitterness is unspiritual. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Attitude, armor, and the way we use our time can change all this. Make it your goal to get “in place” for such a time as this. God forgives. Forgive yourself and get in place! (1 Cor. 14: 33, 40) “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”