by Blair Massey

“How can I be better organized”? “How can I use my time more wisely?” “What new technique can I use to bring some balance into my life?” These are some of the questions I ask myself as I pour over my “To Do” list. In a typical day I can have a list of at least ten tasks that need to accomplished; each just as important as the next.

It is easy to can get overwhelmed when there is so much to do. Do you ever think to yourself: “I am tired of being the chauffeur, cook and laundry maid–I want to have some fun!” If this scenario sounds familiar then let me share with you what God has been teaching me about schedules.

1. What’s at the Top of Your “To Do” List?

Luke 10:38-42  As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Have you ever had a day where you felt that everything depended on you? Martha was having that kind of day. She had invited Jesus and his twelve disciples over for dinner. That meant she had a lot of preparations to make. Because of all the work involved with entertaining this large group of people, Martha was very upset that her sister Mary wasn’t helping her. In Martha’s mind, taking care of her guests was more important than listening to Jesus teach–she could listen to Jesus later. She felt perfectly content with putting the Lord at the bottom of her list of priorities. The result of that decision was that she led a “worried and upset” life.

Martha was focused on the details of the dinner and not on the One for whom she was making dinner. Martha was like many of us. We have our schedules set up for the day, week, month, and year. We work so hard at being organized and productive, but where is God on our list of priorities? Shouldn’t our relationship with Him be at the top of our list? When was the last time you got up early in the morning just to spend some quality time with God? Are you distracted by all the things you need to do?

Mary had her priorities straight. She understood that a relationship with the Lord was the most important thing. That is why she was sitting at the Lord’s feet soaking up his every word. It reminds me of the scripture that says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). Where is your heart?

2. Pray About Your Schedule

Psalm 143:8 “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

As I have been growing in the area of relying on God, He has shown me that I need to go to Him each day for help with my schedule. As I pray, I humbly acknowledge that it is His day and not mine. I ask Him to rearrange or clear my schedule so that I can do what He wants me to do. I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed like this and God has moved mountains from my schedule. I have had appointments be rescheduled and deadlines extended. I have found ways to do a job faster, found that I could put a job off to another day and had a friend call offering to watch my son for an afternoon. All these things have happened AFTER I have prayed. I am learning that I need to do this every day and not just when things get crazy. It is His schedule, not mine. No matter how efficient I make my schedule, I have to remember that He is in control and I am not.

3. Pray Throughout the Day

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Our day rarely goes the way we thought it would. Emergencies come up, appointments get canceled, people let us down and plans change. It can be very challenging to meet the needs of your family when things get tossed up in the air. You think you have everything covered and then it all falls apart. That is why I love the scripture referenced above. It shows me how to handle every change in my schedule–pray continually!

When a challenge comes my way, I stop and ask God for direction. I ask Him how He wants me to handle things. He always provides an answer.

4. Don’t Rely on Yourself

Jeremiah 17:5-8  This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

When things are going well with my schedule and I am able to accomplish all my chores, errands and appointments, I tend to drift away from depending on God. Just like the Israelites, I become self-reliant and prideful. “I have it all covered. No need to worry. I am in control.”

It is easy for me to drift away from depending on God when I am not spending time with Him each day. God in His infinite wisdom always brings me back to Him using a little bit of chaos to show me my need. I’ll be cruising along with “my” agenda leading the way and something will happen that throws me off track. God makes it very clear that I am being self-reliant and not God-reliant. When I come to my senses I get down on my knees and pray for Him to lead the way.

When I take my schedule to God in prayer every day, I am like the tree planted by the stream. My load is lightened because God is taking care of all the details. I am free from worry. When I rely on myself I become frustrated and impatient. Then I am that bush in the wasteland. I won’t see any prosperity coming my way even if it is delivered to my doorstep in a gift wrapped package. All I see is the insurmountable obstacles in my way. I don’t see God because I am not praying. I am not praying because I am too busy trying to fix things myself. Does this sound familiar to you?

5. Don’t Worry About What People Think

Hebrews 13:6 “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

It is easy to get caught up in what other people think about how we use our time. “Am I doing the right thing? What will my friends think? Will they approve?” You only need to worry about what God thinks. You only need His approval. Do what is right and leave the details up to God.

Now I don’t want you to think that you don’t need to be organized or have a schedule. The point I am trying to make is that we need God’s direction. Schedules, agendas and “To Do” lists are just tools to help us be good stewards with our time. Let God decide what tasks are most important.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the entire following resource information at the end of the article and make the link back to our site live:

© 2002 – 2009 Blair Massey

Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world organize and manage their home, family and life. If you’re tired of struggling to keep up at home, Blair will show you how to unlock your God-given organizing ability so that you can start living the amazing life that God created you to enjoy! To learn how, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at http://christian-homemaking.com/affiliate-faqs

by Blair Massey

I hate to iron and I’m not afraid to admit it! Almost everyone has a chore they hate to do. And that’s okay. You don’t have to like doing every chore. What’s not okay is NOT getting them done.

Over the years I have developed a few tricks that turn the chores I hate to do into a more pleasurable experience. Here are my top five tips for doing the chores I love to hate.

1. Do the chore you dislike the most first. Get it out of the way so it is not weighing you down and causing you to procrastinate

2. Outsource. Yes, that’s right I said outsource, but not the way you think I mean it. Do you have children at home that are old enough to do chores? Then assign them the duty. As the mom, it is your responsibility to prepare your children to take care of their own home some day. Use this as an opportunity to teach them a new skill. If you have more than one child that is capable of doing the chore, set up a rotating schedule so that everyone gets a chance to learn and practice.

3. Put on some music, a talk radio program or a book on CD. This always helps me forget I am doing something I don’t like. Before I know it I am done. I have spent many an afternoon ironing while listening to Tom Sullivan on the radio. I love his Financial Fridays!

4. Do it as fast as you can. Put on a timer and set it for half the time you think it will take to do the chore. Then work as fast as you can to beat the clock. My son likes to call this game “Time Challenge”.

5. Dangle a carrot in your face. That means give yourself a reward for doing the chore. I am often more motivated to do a chore I dislike when I promise myself that I can sit down for a few minutes and read my favorite magazine or do an activity that I enjoy, like scrapbooking. When there is something to look forward to after finishing the task, I have no trouble getting the job done.

I hope you find these tips helpful. Now, go get those chores done!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the entire following resource information at the end of the article and make the link back to our site live:

© 2002 – 2009 Blair Massey

Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world organize and manage their home, family and life. If you’re tired of struggling to keep up at home, Blair will show you how to unlock your God-given organizing ability so that you can start living the amazing life that God created you to enjoy! To learn how, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.christian-homemaking.com

by Blair Massey

What would you do if you were asked to chaperon your child’s field trip but your schedule was already full? Would you say yes and later regret it? If you struggle with over-committing yourself there is a solution to your dilemma. Just say “No”. It is easier to do than you may think…

Why is it Hard to Say No

Why is it hard for us to say no when we are asked to take on commitments that are more than we can handle?  The answer lies at the core of our being.  God designed us to be helpers.  However, when we take this to the extreme by saying yes to every person who asks for our help, we end up overbooked and overwhelmed.

I have had many conversations with women about this subject.  What I have discovered is that there are five main reasons why women have a hard time saying no.  See if you can identify with any of these reasons.

Guilt. “It is selfish to say no. If you can help you should.”
Pride. “I enjoy feeling needed. I like the praise that I receive from a job well done.”
People Pleasing. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
Insecurity. “What will they think of me if I refuse?”
Superwoman Mentality. “I can do this. I’ll just work harder and faster.”

When Should You Say No?

Deciding if you should take on a new responsibility can be difficult. The key is to develop a personal litmus test that you can use to decide if saying yes to a commitment is right for you.

Use the check list below as a starting point.

1. Check Your Priorities

What things do you value most in life? Knowing what is most important to you will help you decide if taking on a new commitment makes sense for you.

Make a list of the things that are a priority in your life, like your relationship with God, your family, your health, taking care of your home, your job or volunteer work, etc. Next, under each priority write out what your goals are for that priority.

For instance, my relationship with God is my number one priority. One of my goals is to have a close daily walk with Him. To do this I have set a time early each morning to read my Bible and pray. In order to do this I make sure that I get to bed on time so that I don’t oversleep. Consequently, I say no to any commitment that will keep me up late at night.

By identifying your priorities you will be able to see clearly if what you have been asked to do meshes with your priorities. If it doesn’t then you will be able to turn down the request knowing that you are making a decision that supports your values and personal goals.

Saying no to things that don’t match up with your priorities will set you free to pursue what matters to you the most. You won’t be weighed down with responsibilities that clutter your time, drain your energy and take you away from doing what you need and want to do.

2. Check Your Life.

Don’t take on new commitments if you are in the middle of a major change in your life such as getting married, having a child, a death in the family, major health issues, starting a new job or business. Things are hectic enough during these changes. Wait until things settle back to normal before making any new commitments.

3. Check Your Schedule

Don’t try to squeeze something into an already packed schedule. It is not possible to say yes to everything. Something has to give. You, your family or other obligations will undoubtedly suffer. You know this is true because it happens every time you take on more than you should.

Make it a rule to always check your schedule before committing to anything. You can always get back to the person later, plus this gives you time to think more about your decision. Say something like, “I’ll need to check my schedule and get back to you.”

4. Check With Your Husband.

If you are married, is it vital that you discuss any commitments you want to make with your husband.  This is important for two reasons.  First, because you want to make sure that you are both on the same page with your schedules.  It is embarrassing to have to retract your offer because you didn’t know that your husband would be on a business trip and can’t watch the children.  Synchronize your schedule with your husband’s schedule before you say yes to anything.

Second, it is prudent to get your husband’s input as to whether or not you are overextending yourself.  There have been many times that I was so sure I could tackle an additional project but my wise husband saw that I was “biting off more than I could chew”.  Another viewpoint is always a good thing.

How to Say No Gracefully

Saying no can be very hard, especially if you have spent years believing that you should say yes. Saying no may not be in your vocabulary. If so, here are a few examples of how you can say it gracefully. Use whichever rendition is appropriate for your situation. Remember to keep is short and sweet. You don’t need to give a reason or any details.  The less you say the less someone will be able to guilt you into saying yes.

I would love to help but:

“I have another commitment/appointment for that time/day.”
“I can’t take on any new responsibilities right now”

Offer Options

If you don’t have a lot of time but the project meshes with one of your priorities, you might opt to take on a smaller task.  Say something like, “I can’t oversee the festival but I can help with the decorations.” Or, “I can’t run the bake sale but I can bake a few batches of cookies.”

You can also offer to help sometime in the future when your schedule allows by saying, “I would love to, but I just can’t this time. But please keep me in mind for next time.”

When to Say Yes

If a request passes the check list mentioned above, then you can feel good about saying yes.  For example, let’s say you are asked to serve as a teacher for your child’s Bible class. Your schedule is open, you have talked it over with your husband, there are no major changes going on in your life and it fulfills one of your priorities, then you can feel great about accepting the position.

Saying no may feel strange at first but stand firm. Don’t let the other person’s dismay “guilt” you into retracting your answer. The world will keep spinning, people will still like you and someone else will step up to help. Things will all work out. Really, I promise they will.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the entire following resource information at the end of the article and make the link back to our site live:

© 2002 – 2009 Blair Massey

Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world organize and manage their home, family and life. If you’re tired of struggling to keep up at home, Blair will show you how to unlock your God-given organizing ability so that you can start living the amazing life that God created you to enjoy! To learn how, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.christian-homemaking.com

by Blair Massey

It was 6:30 in the morning and my husband was getting ready for an early morning business breakfast meeting. He  looked sharp in his blue shirt, navy blue tie and charcoal gray suit.

I was heading downstairs to get our coffee when I heard a loud moan from the bedroom closet. My husband’s shoelace had broken. Fortunately I was prepared. I immediately went to the utility room and retrieved an extra set of laces that I had purchased when I bought the shoes. My husband threaded them into his shoes, grabbed his travel mug of coffee and flew out the door to his meeting.

There is a valuable lesson to be learned from this broken shoelace. Being prepared can prevent big headaches. If I had not purchased that extra pair of laces, my husband would have been late for an important meeting, and that would not have looked good at the office.

While no one can anticipate every need or emergency, it is possible to be prepared for most situations. When I worked outside the home I had a job in outside sales. Because I was meeting new clients all the time I always had to look my best. In my desk I kept a pair of hosiery, a small bottle of hairspray, a comb, lipstick, an umbrella and clear nail polish (for fixing runs in my hosiery). In my car I kept a road atlas, a flashlight, batteries, road flares, water proof matches, change for bridge tolls, a rain poncho, a blanket, jumper cables and a first aid kit. To this day I still keep these items in my vehicle.

As the manager of my home it is up to me to make sure that I am adequately prepared for emergencies, whatever they may be. Here are a few examples of the things I have done.

• Placed a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
• Put together a first aid kit.
• Created an evacuation plan and kit.
• Placed emergency phone numbers in an easy to find location.
• Have several homemade dinners in the freezer for times when we are down with the flu or we come home late from an activity.
• Kept up on the laundry, ironing and mending so that my family has the clothes they need when they need them.
• Have an ample supply of shampoo and soap so that no one is caught in the shower without them.

Being prepared doesn’t mean that you need to start a stockpile of toilet paper (although having a good supply in each bathroom can be very important!). Rather, being prepared is about understanding the needs of your family and then making sure that you have the necessary items, like extra shoelaces, available to meet those needs. This is just one of the ways that, as the manager of your home, you can make your home a blessing to all who live there.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the entire following resource information at the end of the article and make the link back to our site live:

© 2002 – 2009 Blair Massey

Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world organize and manage their home, family and life. If you’re tired of struggling to keep up at home, Blair will show you how to unlock your God-given organizing ability so that you can start living the amazing life that God created you to enjoy! To learn how, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.christian-homemaking.com

 by Blair Massey

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Luke 10:40 (NIV)

Have you ever felt like Martha? You look at all the things you need to do and think, “How can I get this done by myself? Oh, if only I had a maid!”

If you’ve looked at the woman in Proverbs 31, you’ve seen that she was someone who accomplished a lot. I remember thinking to myself, “How is she able to get so much done? She has the same 24 hours in a day that I do, how come she is able to be so productive? ”

After many years of studying the Proverbs 31 woman, I can tell you that there are five things she does that guarantees her success. Let’s take a look at a few of the passages pertaining to the Proverbs 31 woman to see what we can learn from her.

1. She Worked Early.

“She rises while it is yet night and gets food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.” Proverbs 31:15 (Amplified Bible)

Yes, that’s right. She was up early in the morning. Not only was she up early, she was “working” early. Notice that she was busy preparing breakfast for everyone in her household. In today’s world we don’t have to get up before dawn to make breakfast, but there is much that we can accomplish when we get up early.

Oh, I can just hear some of you moaning, “I’m not a morning person.” Well, I understand how you feel. I felt the same way myself. Then I realized that God thought it was so important that He put it in the Bible. This is the kind of thing you have to put into practice before you have a change of heart about it. It was that way for me. The Lord had to show my stubborn heart over and over that I need to get up early before I understood its benefits.

Now, I get up early with a joyful heart. I am able to have my quiet time with the Lord, shower and get ready, put in a load of laundry and get organized for the day. When I do these things early I am ready for just about anything that comes my way that day because I have prepared my heart and my mind.

2. She Worked with Strength

“She girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms.” Proverbs 31:17 (NKJ)

The Proverbs 31 woman was no couch potato. She understood that in order to do all that she had to do, that she must be in good physical shape. She knew that her family depended on her and therefore her health was important to her.

It is easy to get busy with taking care of your family and end up neglecting your own physical well-being. Making sure that you are eating right and getting enough exercise is important. How else are you going to be able to pick up your crying toddler, vacuum the house, clean out the car, play with your children and still have energy left to have a romantic time with your husband (if you get my drift)? You have to be in good physical shape.

3. She Worked Smart

“…and assigns her maids their tasks.” Proverbs 31:15 (Amplified Bible)

I remember when it hit me that the Proverbs 31 woman had maids working for her. I thought, “How unfair it is that she had maids and I have to do all this work on my own (pout, pout).”

Then the Lord opened my eyes. He helped me realize how many maids I actually had! There was the washing machine and dryer, the vacuum cleaner, the dish washer, the microwave, the slow cooker, the oven, the toaster, the coffee pot and my favorite — the bread machine. When I stopped to think about it, all my appliances were performing services just like the maids of the Proverbs 31 woman. How convicting. No more pouting for me!

Now I use all my maids, I mean appliances, to their full potential. I finally realized that I needed to work smarter, not harder. Delegation was the key. After all, the Lord had blessed me with these machines. Why was I not using them as I should? Now, on any given day you will find that I have my bread machine, slow cooker and my washer and dryer going so that I am free to be productive in other areas of watching over my home.

4. She Worked Carefully

“She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.” Proverbs 31:27 (NLT)

This was a woman who was on top of things. She understood that what went on in her home was her responsibility. She carefully watched over everything and made sure that whatever needed to get done got done. She didn’t let anything distract her. She had a plan and she worked her plan.

5. She Worked for the Lord

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

The Proverbs 31 woman did have one secret weapon in her home management arsenal. Today, that secret weapon is available to all Christian Homemakers. What was her secret? She had a healthy fear of the Lord.

She feared the Lord not because she was afraid of Him but because she had a healthy respect for the Him. She wanted to do what was right in His eyes because she loved Him. What she did, she did wholeheartedly out of love for the Lord.

She also knew that she could rely on Him to help her with all that He had asked her to do. This woman didn’t run around fretting about getting things done or complaining that her load was too great. She got her strength from praying to the Lord.

We all have times when we feel overwhelmed by our responsibilities. Many times I have thought how nice it would be to have someone come in and take care of things for me. But that is not what managing a home is about. If we take the time to learn from the Proverbs 31 woman we will see that, although she had a lot to do, she was wise about how she did it. We can all be as productive as the Proverbs 31 woman if we put these five principals into practice.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include the entire following resource information at the end of the article and make the link back to our site live:

© 2002 – 2009 Blair Massey

Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world organize and manage their home, family and life. If you’re tired of struggling to keep up at home, Blair will show you how to unlock your God-given organizing ability so that you can start living the amazing life that God created you to enjoy! To learn how, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.christian-homemaking.com