Setting Your House in
Order, Part 2
Marsha Bird
Contents: The Business of Building
Are You a Pack
Rat?
Scriptures to Consider
The
Business of Building
1. Creating the Atmosphere -
Creating the atmosphere is like using a thermostat to regulate the temperature. In response to prayer God will give us the heart, the wisdom, and the words to
create a healthy atmosphere in which our families can live. Our homes should be a haven of warmth, beauty, love, joy, peace - a place where God's Spirit can dwell, a place of safety and rest for all those who live there and those who enter in.
2. Building a Refuge -
The home ministers to our family far more than we might imagine; beauty and
familiar surroundings have an effect on the physical, psychological and even
the spiritual state of our family.
3. Avoid the Negative -
A woman can ruin a home by being passive: failing to work, laziness, never
getting around to it or too much TV, too much telephone, too much Internet, too
many things that distract.
How Can We Be Used by God to
Create a Home?
1. Understand that Wisdom Builds -
The wise woman knows that she is on assignment from God and knows that
building a home is a lifelong job. Wisdom builds and avoids any attitude or act
that does not. Are you building?
2. Make a Decision
to
It's never too late to begin or begin again. Only Satan wants us to think
otherwise! We can begin even today! Decide to do your work in the home
"willingly" and "heartily." Make a decision to immediately stop any destructive
habits.
3. Each Day, Do One Thing To Build Your Home -
Look around your home and make a list of things that you need to do - then do
just one item on your list each day - or even one each week!
Remember: To have a happy and organized home is a blessing from God!
Are
You A Pack Rat?
Ask yourself?
Do I really need this?
How long has it been since I used it?
Is it a precious memory or keepsake?
Can someone else get more use out of?
Get 3 boxes and mark them throw away, give away, put away. (I use laundry baskets). Have a starting point like the front door and work your way around the room and go through every drawer, closet, box, etc., make a decision on each item and put it in the box. When you fill a box take time to put it in a trash bag, mark it and take it to the garage or a place where you know you can get rid of it quickly. Then in the space that has been emptied take the box of items that you would like to keep and re-organize it back into the drawers and closets. DO NOT go back through the items that you have decided to get rid of. : ) If the items need to go to another storage area put them in another box to be put away later. Do no stop to take them to another room or you will get side-tracked and never finish the job! This will take time so don't get discouraged. Just do a little every day and keep up with the basics you have to do to keep the family going. Remember it will get better. Keep with one job until you've finished. Otherwise you will have several messes going at once.
Use nice cardboard boxes with lids and a 3x-5 file box
with index cards. Mark the front of the
boxes with a number. On an index card
for each box write the number, what's in it and where it's stored. File it in the box. Store your boxes where you want them. When you need something from storage go to
the index card file and see what box you have stored an item in. It will help you to find it quickly and
efficiently, i.e. Box 1 - Christmas
decorations, attic.
If you have 3 file cabinets and 40 boxes of stuff you need to go back and rethink some items. If you decide you can't part with it at least you'll be an organized pack rat!!
Motto for a clutter free house: Don't put it down put it away! Everything will have a "home" and it will be easy to keep it picked up.
Pictures can be a real problem as most of us do not get them into albums. Get a family member to help you sort them into individual piles for each member of the family and ask for help to create a memory box or album to be given at graduation or marriage. It will take time but once you start it will be fun. You could pass them on to someone who enjoys scrapbooking and see if they can help you out. If you have too many pictures make a collage on a bulletin board to hang in their room. Try not to take too many pictures. Only what would be special.
PAPERWORK!
Do not handle mail more than once. As it comes in sort it. Junk mail in the trash. Bills in a designated place to be paid promptly and a folder for filing. Filing should be done on a daily basis to keep it from piling up. Keep your filing system very simple at first with just basic folders like medical, insurance, taxes. You can go into more detail later. Don't keep junk that will never see daylight again. Be tough! If you don't have a file cabinet use a box.
Read magazines and pass on or cut out articles to be filed. Share them with a friend when you're done.
School papers - let your child pick 2 special papers each month to keep and put it into a 2004 file. By the end of the year each folder should contain only 24 special papers, photos, awards and report cards. Choose a keepsake box for each child to keep their folders in. When they are ready to leave home they can take the box with them.
Remember - Don't pile it, file it.
Setting Your House in Order
Scriptures
to Consider
"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 85:36b-c
"Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but
seek ye first to build up the
"The aged women, likewise, that they may be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2:3-5
"Wherefore, do not spend your money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." II Nephi 6:100
""I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again; it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." Mosiah 2:43-45
"Be afflicted for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just; whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil. 4:6-8
"Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." Proverbs 14:1
"Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established; And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches." Proverbs 24:1-3
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.... She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.....Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." The Virtuous Woman - Proverbs 31:10-31
"And if a house be divided against itself, that house
cannot stand." Mark
"And now a commandment I give unto you, if you will
be delivered: you shall set in order
your own house, for there are many things that are not right in your
house". D&C 90:6f
"Set in order your houses; keep slothfulness and uncleanliness far from you." D&C 87:5e
"But all things must come to pass in their time; wherefore be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great". D&C 64:2c
"See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires; cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated; and above all things, clothe yourselves with the bonds of charity, as with a mantle, which is a bond of perfectness and peace; pray always, that you may not faint until I come; behold and lo, I will come quickly and receive you unto myself. Amen." D&C 85:38a-e
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Ephesians 2:19
Put on the whole armor of God..... Ephesians 6:13-17
"Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments; yea, with all your might, mind and strength." D&C 10:10a
"Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." II Nephi 14:4
"But behold I say unto you, that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform anything unto the Lord, save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." II Nephi 14:12
"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
"And ye will not suffer your children, that they go hungry, or naked; Neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers; he being an enemy to all righteousness; But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another." Mosiah 2:25-27
"But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth." D&C 90:6d
"And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance; faith in Christ, the Son of the living God; and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands when eight years old, the sin be upon the head of the parents; for this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized; and their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands; and they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord." D&C 68:4a-c
"And again, thou shalt not be proud in thy heart; let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands, and let all things be done in cleanliness before me." D&C 42:12a
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear
death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers, than they did
upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did
not doubt, that God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of
their mothers, saying, We do not doubt our mothers knew......And it came to
pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had
fainted because of the loss of blood; Nevertheless, according to the goodness
of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army,
there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one
soul among them who had not received many wounds. And now, their preservation was astonishing
to our whole army; yea, that they should be spared, while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous
power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been
taught to believe, that there was a just God; and whosoever did not doubt, that
they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I
have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm; and they do put their
trust in God continually."
"Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed." III Nephi 8:52
Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:1-4
"Use hospitality one to another without grudging." I Peter 4:9
"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings; That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." Philippians 2:14-15
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." Ephesians 5:33
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of the world; a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Therefore, let your light so shine before this world, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16-18 III Nephi 5:63
"Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, If
ye are not, ye are not prepared to meet God.
Behold ye must prepare quickly, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at
hand, and such an one hath not eternal
life."
"Keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and
establish the cause of
"Wherefore prepare ye, prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my church, upon the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry, GO ye out of Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another." D&C 108:2
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths
strait, for the hour of his coming is nigh, when the Lamb shall stand upon
"Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing
mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the
"And the Lord called his people
"The wicked are overthrown, and are not; but the house of the righteous shall stand." Proverbs 12:7
The house built upon a rock....Matthew 7:34-35
Story of Ten Virgins - Matthew 25
"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." I Nephi 1:65