An author friend of mine has just written a book, Never Ever Be the Same Again, and asked if she could be a guest blogger on my blog. I am happy to share with you her thoughts on organization!

Her secret? Let God be your source of strength and power as you go through your life.

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“This Too Will Pass:” Not Good For Organizational Success
by Kathy Collard Miller

Often, we get through a difficult time by emotionally “gritting our teeth” and praying the difficulty will disappear or we’ll get through it quickly. We could even think similarly with our cluttered homes or offices. Vowing, “If I just ignore my messes and do what I can regardless of the inconvenience,” we’re taking a similar attitude. In effect, we’re saying, “Maybe this too will pass by a little genie coming in the middle of the night and straightening everything out.”

But it never happens! It never “passes.”

Years ago, when I struggled to trust God for his provision of joy and contentment in the midst of being my mother-in-law’s caregiver, I thought, “This too will pass.” And then on the heels of that thought came, “If I just knew how much longer Audrey was going to live, I could be more patient and kind.” I was thinking I could be more patient because I would be gritting my teeth, just waiting for the trial to end. But that’s not depending upon God’s help.

I then examined that phrase, “This too will pass,” more deeply. Haven’t we all said that and sighed in relief? Maybe we thought, “OK, if I just hold on long enough, this trial/situation/challenge will pass.”

No wonder God doesn’t tell us the future. If we knew a trial was going to last a long time, we’d give up. If we knew a trial was going to be short-lived, we would grin and bear it. Neither looks to God to be our help.

And no wonder God doesn’t send that little genie to our home or office to organize us in the middle of the night. Then, we don’t need God to help us. We can just grin and bear the discomfort and inconvenience of clutter and disorganization, hoping it’ll somehow be fixed.

But God wants to help us go through the trial and even organize our homes and offices. He is interested in every area of our lives, even what we might call “little things” like getting organized.

But thinking “this too will pass” won’t empower you to look to Him for His help.

In what way could you seek His help as you face what may seem like a monumental task of getting organized? What one step could you take today in His power to become more organized? He’s there for you.

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This article is excerpted from Never Ever Be the Same (Leafwood Publishers) which offers Christians hope that they can change their ungodly reactions through identifying their self-protective strategies and trusting God instead. The authors are Kathy Collard Miller and Larry Miller and includes biblical principles, insightful stories, and helpful instruction. It has individual and group discussion questions.

Kathy Collard Miller and Larry Miller are speakers and authors. They have been married 44 years and Larry is a retired police lieutenant. The Millers live in Southern California, and have two grown children and one grandson. Visit them at www.LarryAndKathy.com. Kathy blogs at www.KathyCollardMiller.com.

Never Ever Be the Same is available at your local Christian bookstore and in both print and digital versions at:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ITmLfy
CBD: http://bit.ly/1AuJZSX
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1BJz3lC