A House of Order

Okay, so I have been thinking about this one for a long time and it's time to just say it like it is (at least for me). One of the talks from general conference made my think a little more about this though, and I sort of gave myself permission to finally express how I feel even though there might be some who disagree. So here it is . . . 

Having a clean and orderly house has A LOT (I thought about using the word everything, but decided that is not entirely true) to do with the kind of mom that I am and the joy that I experience in the journey. I didn't word that really great, but hopefully you get the point.

I feel almost non-functional when I have a disaster area for a house. I'm grouchy and frustrated with both me and the kids. I'm not great about feeding the kids lunch and snacks in a timely manner (this might have something to do with not being able to find the table or having no clean dishes) which makes them and me even more grouchy, I am not happy when I step on a Lego that was left on the floor (anyone who has ever experienced this knows how much it hurts!), and I get frustrated when the kids complain that they have no pajamas or nothing to wear! When things are a huge mess, I feel overwhelmed and I don't even know where to start and everyone in the house just feeds off my frustration--there is more fighting, more messes, and a mommy who at the end of the day really doesn't like herself!  

Growing up my mood and life was reflected in my room. I was pretty much a spotless person when life was going well--clothes were ironed, hung up, bed was always made, everything dusted, etc., etc. One quick peek in my room and you knew life was good. On the other hand, when I was really struggling or frustrated with life, my room was--let's just say less than perfect! I think my house is now the reflection of my world. There have been brief moments in my 9 year tenure of being a wife and then mother that I have experienced order and close to spotlessness. However, those moments have been few and far between and I seem to have forgotten that they even existed at all until I look back on photos where the backdrop was not mounds of mess and realize that once upon a time I did have a clean and orderly house on a regular basis! 

As we have added more children to the mix (and consequently more stuff), I am to the point of feeling really out of control and it is time to get things under control before I feel out of control again with the birth of a new baby in September! I want and need to feel like a happy and in control person with a neat and orderly home where I can feel the spirit of the Lord. I want to be the wife and mother that I know I am meant to be and I need to make BIG changes in order to get there. 

So on to my goal and how I am going to get there (this might take a few posts since unfortunately this is not going to be an overnight change).

MY GOAL:

One of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants talks about my goal:

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God: That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High." (D&C 88:119-120) 

So we have all heard the first part of this scripture which is my goal--establish order and a home where the spirit of the Lord can reside--but at least personally I haven't spent too much time reading on to the next point which happens to go hand in hand with this goal--in a sense really handing our lives and our homes over to the Lord. I feel like one of the most important reasons for us to follow the counsel in this scripture and put our homes in order is to put ourselves in what I call "A Position to Serve." The times when I have put my home in order are the times when I have been the best at serving my family and others (and this includes just having a meal on the table and clean clothes, but it also includes taking dinner or a loaf of bread to someone, or making that phone call just to check in on someone). I am more in tune with the spirit as this scripture talks about, and I feel better about myself and am more open to those promptings that tell me who I need to serve and how. I also feel more willing and able to be called upon at the last minute to serve someone who needs their children watched or needs a quick ride somewhere. 

I would love to finish this thought process today, but it is time for lunch, and I have to go find my table . . . at least I have have clean dishes :)

More to come . . . but here's the link for the conference talk about comparing our homes to the temple.