Order

The Germans have a phrase that was used often in my family: "In Ordnung bringen." I means "to bring things to order" and it means everything from tidying up to taking command of troops. In English, "coming to order" means things quiet down and the official business of a meeting begins. This is often accompanied by a prayer. Why?

I believe that the Creator of the universe is a God of order. Otherwise, how do you explain the existence of mathematics? A complete, logical, coherent system that exists outside of everything else? Come on. Forget about it.

I also believe that one of the central purposes of human life, and sources of human flourishing, is to become more Christ-like by cultivating wisdom and virtue.

So, if God is a God of order, then mimicking Him and following His example means that we ought to become more orderly as well.

I can already hear the complaints of the 'free spirits' and creative types: "What, my desk is messy so I'm not a good Christian?" Not at all, O cluttered one, for I, too, am a bit of a slob. I'm spending the day cleaning up my bathroom, and if cleanliness is next to godliness, then I'm down in the ninth circle. I also think that a little creative destruction once in a while is a good thing. Jesus didn't tidy up the money lenders' tables, after all. But, in general, order is better than chaos.

I've heard it said that creativity can only exist when and where there is discipline. I've also noticed that I feel better when my space is clean and neat, no matter how quickly it descends into chaos again. Something inside of me breathes a sigh of relief when things are clean. If you're really messy, I'm not mad at you, I'm right there with you. But there's hope for both of us!

Andrew Kern, president of the Circe Institute (whose blog I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who cares anything about Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, which can be found here) stated recently that we've been given a model for how to get things done in the creation narrative in Genesis 2. First, God said "Let us do such and such", then He did, then He assessed His work and said "it is good." Finally, when He was done, he rested.

When I've attempted to implement this process to my daily tasks, I find that a very good goal is "Let us bring such and such into order."

Yesterday I brought my car into order.

Today I'm bringing my kitchen and bathroom into order.

This month I'm bringing my job into order.

This year I'm bringing my finances into order.

This five years I'm bringing my career into order.

This lifetime I'm bringing my soul into order.

And it will be good.