How to Make Room with Order

You need to make room with order to find what you need, do what you need, and have what you need. Without order, things become chaotic, scattered, and too cluttered for more. With order, there is room for more.

#QuoteoftheDay

Without order,
there will be no room
for blessings.
– Kathryn Lang

Our first home began as a 1300 sq ft, two bedroom/two bath house. In that space, I managed to create enough storage room for all of our homeschool supplies, crafting supplies, and so much more.

And we used it all.

When my mom passed away, our space had grown to just over 1700 sq ft. I found places to store all of the additional craft supplies, entertainment dishes, and OH SO MUCH more.

And we barely used any of it.

When the tornado crushed our home in 2020, we lost much of the things that I had spent so many years storing. In the blink of an eye, craft supplies, school supplies, and antiques were destroyed. We salvaged what we could, and eventually moved all of that salvage into a space not our own.

The less we had, the more we had.

When we had less space, we made more use of it.

When we had less stuff, we found more uses for what we had.

With less, we gained order and gained more.

Organized for More

In the beginning, I was caring for two small boys, while home-schooling, while building a writing career. I had to put away whatever I was doing or I could expect two boys to find a way to get into whatever it was.

As the boys got older, it got easier to set it aside for later. The more I set things aside, the more disorder began to rule.

The more stuff, the more disorder prevailed.

By the time we had finished raising three boys and sorting through two additional households (mine and my husband’s parents), there was plenty of disorder going around.

After the tornado, we spent seven weeks in a hotel (which is not nearly as glamorous as it might sound). In those seven weeks, in those cramped spaces, we found a way to make room for a “pantry” to keep snacks, a study (for Bible reading and school work), and an office (for work, writing, and livestreaming).

It reminded me that when we keep order, we have more.

As we moved from one rental to another, I found creative ways to keep order and to regain pieces of order that I had forgotten. With each step into order, we gained more.

A Fear of Letting Go

For the longest time, I believed that the tornado did more damage than good. It wasn’t until the end of 2022 that I began writing down all the goods that we were encountering. One of those goods was the release of things I had held on to.

“You can’t get rid of that because it was your great-grandmother’s.”

“You can’t get rid of that because it was your mom’s favorite.”

“You can’t get rid of that because someone might ask you about it.”

When my mom passed away, I released all of her clothes and many of her collectibles. My brothers had picked through what they wanted and what their families wanted and there was still more than I could possibly store.

I let it go.

Ten years later, I had a vivid dream that my mom had come back and was asking about her stuff. I woke up in a panic.

The tradition of stuff was a heavy burden. Letting it go was almost as tough as letting go of the actual things. The tornado forced me to face the letting go and I survived. It turns out that sometimes we need to be forced into the path that allows us to focus correctly.

Learn to Make Room with Order

When I let go of the things I don’t use and the things I don’t love or use, then I have more room. When I have room to honor that things I do have, then I can create order in the space and for the space.

As long as I am compelled to hold on for holding on’s sake, I won’t have what I need to receive the more and the better that is designed for my life.

If you are struggling to find order for your life, look around at what you’re holding on to. Find ways to let it go so you can make the space for gaining order.

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Does order currently reign in your life?