Organization – Cloyce Sutton Online

Although the condition of my desk suggests otherwise, I’m not a fan of chaos and disorder. And although I’m not a great time manager, neither do I prefer an unpredictable routine.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that most people prefer a degree of predictability and structure to their lives. Children seem to thrive within a structured home and learning environment. Workplaces are more productive when deadlines, procedures, and expectations are clear. There’s something comfortable about the familiar.

But order isn’t peace. It may not even be peaceful. In fact, it can be downright suffocating.

I recently heard one of my favorite hymns, “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.” I’ve always loved the third verse: “Drop Thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace.”

I hadn’t heard this song in a while, and it came at a time when I needed it. I’d been struggling with my schedule and some of my work habits. I’d been fidgety, fretful, disorganized, and unproductive. I certainly wasn’t at peace.

But the irony for me is that even when I’m productive and organized and tuned in, that sense of dis-ease may still hang over me like a heavy cloud. In other words, organization and peace aren’t the same thing. The former doesn’t necessary lead to the latter, and the latter may exist apart from the former.

What I seek is what the apostle Paul described as “the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension” (Philippians 4.7). It’s a peace not predicated upon planners and calendars and clocks and spreadsheets. It’s peace that comes as a gift when I choose joy over anxiety, patience over agitation, and gratitude over indifference.

This incomprehensible peace is made possible when “the God of peace” is with us (verse 9). That happens when we reorient our thinking to things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, reputable, excellent, and praiseworthy (verse 8). This isn’t instinctive, it’s practiced (verse 9).

Lord, drench me with the dews of your quietness. Father, take from my soul its strivings, strains, and stresses. O God, fill me with your beautiful peace so that I may confess to others that in you I’ve found perfect rest.

Question: Would you rather be organized or rich?

To answer the question requires: (1) A sense of priority – which is more important? (2) An understanding of the risks involved. (3) A willingness to trade one thing for another.

People who deal in financial analysis and decision-making face these choices every day.

One Old Testament text addresses this very question: Proverbs 14.4 says, “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

This proverb illustrates a common farming decision. In biblical times, owning oxen would be like owning a tractor today – it was a huge advantage. It involved additional costs but was generally considered worth the risks for the sake of extra revenue. Most farmers would gladly trade a clean manger (or stable or barn) without oxen for a smelly, messy barn with oxen. More oxen meant more crops which meant more income.

The application to business is obvious. Businesses constantly must decide about the maintaining and upgrading hardware, software, offices, furnishings, equipment, factories, fleets, and a thousand other things. It’s all about risks and rewards.

A broader application is to the stewardship of our blessings. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25.14-30) teaches that when we’re entrusted with blessings – money, possessions, abilities, time, opportunities, relationships – we have a God-given duty to invest in them and grow in them. We must weigh the priorities, risks, and tradeoffs to properly evaluate and make good choices. Growth is the expectation.

An even broader application is to our personal growth. At a surface level, Proverbs 14.4 is about growing one’s business. At a deeper level, it’s about any kind of growth: spiritual, relational, educational, vocational, or financial. To grow requires prudent risk-taking and pushing ourselves beyond our normal limits. Growth is still the expectation.

Solomon is telling us that we need to properly evaluate things. There’s a time and place for cleanliness and organization. There’s also a time and place for risk, work, and growth, which means there’s a place for messiness, too.

The takeaway is this: Whenever you’re confronted with an opportunity for growth, take it! By all means analyze it and measure it and weigh it. But never forget that growth is the expectation of wisdom.

Tag: Organization

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