Recently I received a priesthood blessing as I was set apart for a calling in my new ward. One promise I was made–and it was something I’d been praying to receive–was that I would learn how to organize my time to handle the responsibilities of my life. Since the person giving me the blessing couldn’t have known anything about that prayer of mine, or that I have ADD and various other things (including an imagination) that interfere with my organizational skills, I had no doubt it came directly from God.
I was pretty enthusiastic about that blessing. I had it all planned out. I knew just how God could handle my time management issues. Naturally, the most important part was that He would move things out of my schedule. There were things I do that I had prayed many times to not do anymore, and each time, He said, “Oh, no, sorry, you’ll have to stay with that one. I have something in mind for you there.” But I had it in my own mind that He’d changed His mind on them.
It didn’t turn out that way. In fact, not only has He not taken things out of my schedule, but He even put more in. Wait…more to do? I can’t even handle what I already have!
After pondering and praying, I realized God hadn’t been talking about easing my schedule. He meant that after fifty-five years of life, it was time for me to get organized and efficient. Probably that means that if I want to daydream or plot a novel, I will have to do it while I’m vacuuming, not while I’m sitting and staring into space. It means that when I make out my to-do list, something I love doing, I am supposed to actually look at it as I go through my day. It means I will need to put appointments into my scheduler and if it’s grocery day, I need to go grocery shopping, whether I feel like it or not (because I never feel like it–I hate to shop for anything but books and office supplies).
If He wants me to get organized, I presume it is because He has even more plans for me than He’s already put into place. He’s doing His part, figuring out just what I need to have the joyful and rewarding life He planned for me.
To read more articles by Terrie Bittner, please click here.
Now it’s my turn.
Excuse me. I need to figure out where I left that to-do list.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
