The other day one of my friends on Facebook posted a picture of his filled-to-bursting mailbox. He wrote, “Don’t let your life look like our mailbox. Filled up so that you can’t get anything in and when the door of opportunity opens you have a hard time getting free because you have been stuffed in a space too small to contain all the goodness coming your way.”
I thought of my life. I’m not a hoarder; I’m pretty neat. But then, I thought about the tidal waves of tasks and the kinds of things in a mailbox that can keep me off-balance. So, rather than being defensive, I decided to look closer at my own mailbox.
Here’s what my exercise taught me:
- Go to the mailbox every day. Discipline is important.
- Don’t waste time with junk mail. It’s junk. Stay focused.
- Don’t make a pile. Piles make extra tasks. Make a plan instead.
- Separate and prioritize. Take action.
- Clean up. After doing steps 1 through 4, get rid of what’s not important. Celebrate!
Sometimes, we just need new uncomplicated images to help us look at church, family, home, and work. What image for tidying your life works for you?
This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA blog by Valora K Starr. Today we celebrate the Annunciation of Our Lord.
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