It seems like an oxymoron, but I find that “Organized Mess” best describes many functioning lives that I’ve witnessed. It is certainly a descriptor I would use for my own life.

I’m one of those people who yearns for an organized desk and from time to time I make the effort to make it look that way. Yet, most of the time, it looks like the aftermath of a ticker tape parade. (Do they still have those in the computer age?). But the good news is I know what pile of rubble I need to look in.

The same is an accurate description for many of our lives. To a portion of the outside world, we may look like organized messes but if you look at our production, we’re doing just fine.

This is a round about way of saying that there are many ways to get to heaven.

If you give someone a step-by-step formula and insist they follow it, they may get the same result, but you will not get access to their creativity or inspiration. Left to their own devices, they may have a “messier” way that delivers the same or better results.

Having rules for everyone is an exercise in control and my experience is that control doesn’t work well with the messy.

If someone’s way is not working, it may be beneficial to introduce them to your way, but if you petulantly insist, the downside of messy is likely to persist.

Everyone raises their family differently and may I be so bold as to say, “There is no ‘right’ way.” Yet upstanding citizens come from those differing approaches which brings me to the point of this writing: We all approach life from a different angle and the only “right” angle is found in geometry.

The only question we need to ask ourselves is: Is my angle of approach working? If the answer is “No,” seek out a new angle. If the answer is “Yes,” stick with your organized mess.

All the best,

John