In my own personal situation and in our marriage, an organized life has without a doubt helped us make more space in our schedule, budget, and life for what matters. 

So I wanted to write a post about the specific ways in which this is true. It’s just as much for my own sake as it is for yours. 

If you’re like me, this post is to help you see the blessings in your natural tendencies, to make sure you’re orienting your pursuit of an organized life with an eternal focus, and to thank God for your gifts. 

And, my friend, if you’re not the naturally organized type, this post isn’t to shame you or to say that people who color code their files are better Christians. Maybe this post will simply encourage you to consider a new perspective in some way—either about those organized Christian friends you can’t seem to understand or about how a small degree of organization could be valuable even for those who aren’t wired that way.

With that, here are four wonderful ways that an organized life can free you up to live for God’s glory: 

1. Organization can help you steward well what God’s given you: money, time, possessions, etc. It’s hard to steward what you don’t track or pay attention to. The process of organizing your calendar, creating a budget, or getting your house in order can open your eyes to how much God’s given you and help you manage it better. For example, using a budget means you'll know where your money is going, which means you’ll probably spend it more wisely and have more ability to be generous!
2. Organization can foster a mind that’s less bogged down by the little necessities of life, the type of mind that’s constantly thinking about the next task or problem. This is a problem women deal with much more than men: that feeling of having a million “tabs” open in your brain at once. It makes it really hard to live in the present, to concentrate on anything good, and to enjoy true spiritual and emotional peace. 
3. Organization can spare you from some of the chaos of living minute to minute, always rushed or late or behind on your to-do list, which frees you up to say yes to more of the good stuff in life. Living proactively instead of reactively can free up some margin in your life. You might be more likely to invite your neighbors over or spend a couple minutes talking to the barista at your coffee shop. You might also be more open to divine interruptions, as I like to call them, those moments where a mom at your kid’s school spills her guts to you unexpectedly while you’re waiting in the carpool line or where you drive past a homeless person and something tugs at your heart to go back and talk to him. 
4. Organization can strengthen families and marriages and make homes a place of peace and refreshment. When everyone understands a system and is willing to adopt it, communication improves and stress and chaos usually decrease. Spouses, parents, and kids are less tense and more patient with appropriate levels of organization. (Notice, I said appropriate, not over the top. Too much organization can be stressful too.) 

What do you think, friend? Tell me: In what ways has organization freed you up to respond to God’s calling on your life? 

Remember, none of this is about checking off boxes or following a set of rules. (Alleluia!) It’s about first knowing that Jesus took care of everything and there’s nothing for you to prove or earn, and second, it’s about cultivating a relationship with God and a knowledge of him where grace compels you to a life of good fruit. 

(And hey, it’s okay if your fruit looks different from mine or you produce your fruit in a different way.)

I’ll leave you with some of the many great verses in Scripture that have encouraged me to not shy away from my gifts, to use them for God’s glory and not my own, and to celebrate the gifts of others that are different from mine: 

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

Diana Kerr serves as a certified professional life coach for go-getter Christian women like her. Her group coaching program—Bold, Intentional Life—created for Christian women to design their time and life around what matters most—is open for limited-time enrollment October 5-13, 2016. Click here to learn more.