Order
“Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its place.”
1. An organized state, with elements arranged properly, neatly, or harmoniously
2. The way in which several items are arranged, as an indication of when each will be dealt with
3. The arrangement of society into groups or classes and the relationships between them
Order means light and peace, inward liberty and free command over one’s self; order is power. - Henri F. Amiel
Method will teach you to win time. - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Nothing is orderly till man takes hold of it. Everything in creation lies around loose. - Henry Ward Beecher
My thoughts on order are summarized in this list:
This dimension of the concept “order” is likely the most common. Almost everything runs a bit better when there is a design for action. The more often we do a thing, the easier it becomes. We must endeavor to create and maintain systems of order for our belongings, for our time, and for our actions. This concept is valid in individual life, but takes on a heightened meaning when applied in a group (such as in the workplace).
- Some things are more important than others
Having a system for the categorizing and accessing of things is good, but if we stop there, we won’t know what to do next. Understanding what is important allows us to do the most important thing now, and realize what the next thing will be. This is good in personal life, important in teamwork, and critical in inter-personal relationships. For instance; knowing where to find your socks in the morning is nice, identifying your next task at work is important, and understanding that your child needs a bedtime story from you is critical.
- Order liberates time
The human mind has a wonderful feature – when it senses something it automatically tries to classify it – comparing it to previous experiences. This is great when sitting at a traffic light – without this feature we would sit there for minutes – trying to assess what to do next. Efficiency experts will tell you to have a plan for everything in order to get more work done in a certain amount of time. I suggest that we should have a plan, but to liberate time from work, to re-deploy that time according to our social/familial duties and render service to our Lord.
- “Six days shalt thou labor..”
The Christians among us will recognize this as the first part of the Sabbath covenant with man. God did not merely tell man to celebrate time with God on the 7th day, he clearly instructed man to tame the space around him (to labor) on the other six days. We should endeavor to labor with diligence and order so that we can celebrate time one day of the week. Call this Sabbath if you will, and if you would not, call it “family day” or “the day for time”.
