We’ve all experienced seasons of greater chaos. When we’re ready to pursue more control over our lives it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start. This confusion or anxiety can hinder us from starting at all. Others just want to reign in chaos as efficiently as possible. Decreasing chaos and increasing order is a key first step to (a) clarifying where we really want go and (b) getting there wisely. This is the path to good stewardship.
Some people may begin the journey toward a life of improved stewardship from a position that is already fairly ordered. Others may begin from a season, or perhaps even a lifetime, of chaos. Lives of chaos are constructed when chaos is modeled as the default mode of operation, and/or during times where mere survival is a necessary or perceived priority. Remember, chaos always comes in degrees and some measure of it is always present in everyone’s life.
My time of increased chaos developed during a season of having three children and making two international moves shortly after completing a PhD. I juggle many different roles and always strive for increased efficiency. As I began pursuing greater order in my life I had to triage the actions I chose. We all have limited energy. The following five guidelines help one prioritize action when seeking a greater level of order and improved stewardship of resources.
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Prioritize what is closest to you.
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Prioritize broader categories before granular subcategories.
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Prioritize where the least investment of resources will yield the greatest results.
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Prioritize where neglect may bring disproportionate negative consequence.
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Prioritize anything the Spirit of God directs you to even if you don’t yet understand why.
So how does one apply these priorities in one’s life in pursuit of improved order, stewardship, and health? The following five question will help you do so and correspond to the five priorities above. Applying these priorities looks different for everyone. Therefore, reflections written after each question below help you define your priorities and consider how to apply them in your life. As you will see, each of these priorities, and their corresponding questions, dynamically interact with one another. Remember, do not neglect the art and beauty of stewardship in pursuit of the “right answer” or mere efficiency. Let love and beauty remain strong in your pursuit for improved stewardship.
1) Where’s your closest chaos?
What’s closest to you? With what and whom do you engage most frequently? Where in these places do you experience chaos or lack of health? For most of us, our bodies will be the best place to start. As external demands press in on us, we are tempted to withdraw more than we have given to our physical bank account. We sleep less and/or poorly, eat healthily, and exercise too little. Exhausted, obese (or the inverse), and sick and/or unconditioned bodies are then asked to respond, in their diminished state, to increasing demands. Then stress increases along with physical withdrawals, thus, perpetuating a chaotic and destructive cycle. Thus, when increased order is desired, our bodies are usually a great place to start. Pursue more and better sleep, an improved diet, and regular exercise. The reason we hear this sentence so frequently is because it’s so true and because your body is the closest place you experience chaos and it is what will help you create order inside and out.
Consider your closest relationships and those with whom you engage most frequently. What can be done to reduce chaos and improve health in these relationships? If you have a “significant other,” this is a good place to start. Consider how to remove roadblocks (e.g. ask forgiveness), and build bridges (e.g. establish and invest in date-night).
What disorder do you experience most frequently? Close your eyes and visualize the typical physical path you take most regularly from when you wake up until when you go to bed. Where is there chaos or disorder on that path? As I pursued exit from a season of particular chaos I felt a little overwhelmed by the number of neglected maintenance tasks in and outside our house. Instead of attempting (and likely failing) to improve all the landscaping (e.g. prune trees and shrubs, pull weeds, repair boundaries, improve lawn, remove all leaves and debris), I focused first on raking what was most visible when walking from the front door to the garage and driveway. Whew! If you live with others, consider what is their closest chaos. It is almost certainly impacting you in one way or another too. I prioritized fixing the kids bathroom sink and towel racks. These were presenting issues multiple times daily for my little ones, my wife, and me too.
2) Where are your broad chaos categories?
Consider larger chunks of life before smaller minutia. It’s usually helpful to begin considering broader categories before focusing on narrow subcategories. For example, before focusing on developing your movie watching budget, you’ll want to consider your financial health more broadly. You might ask yourself, “How might I increase my primary income sources and reduce my major expenses?”
In order to begin considering how to be a better steward it is helpful to first reflect upon the categories of things you have to steward. Following is a framework of stewardship categories I find helpful and use in my consulting practice, Integrated Transformation.
- Bio: Your body and physical health
- Psycho: Your mind, thinking, and psychological health.
- Social: Your relationships, community, and social health.
- Pneuma: Your spirit, relationship with God, and spiritual health.
- Material: Your belongings, finances, and material health.
What stands out in each category as needing greater health or order? Use the following criteria to help you prioritize action in each category.
3) Where’s your low hanging fruit?
Where will the least investment yield the greatest benefit? Where can you apply limited energy and significantly improve order or reduce chaos in your life? Prioritize these actions. These are the most efficient investments of your limited resources. Prioritizing in this way is wise even if you feel that you have many resources.
4) Where’s your neglect aiming you toward tragedy?
For example, fix your brakes! I know, the car still gets you where you need to go and still stops “ok” despite the loud noises. But, the risk is not worth the consequence and the stress is impacting you more than you know–especially if it’s something you engage with frequently. That lump that continues to grow…??? Get it checked. That expired licence…? Get it renewed. Trees growing in your gutters…? Get them cleaned. The benefit of the delay is not worth the potential negative outcome. And, most likely, these things are stealing the emotional energy you need to invest elsewhere. You likely would not be in these situations if you had all the resources to address these issues immediately. So, at least make a responsible plan to address them quickly. This is also a good time to ask for help.
5) Where’s your Father guiding?
Listen to the Spirit of The Living God who has perspective and love beyond anything you could ever imagine. The Spirit trumps the math. If He is guiding you to prioritize some action, then by all means, obey quickly. I’ve presented helpful guidelines above, not laws. Use wisdom to discern the Spirit’s guiding. Let community and scripture confirm what you hear from the Spirit and respond just as God guides whether you understand the reasons or not. Call out for the Spirit’s guidance. If you are graced with divine revelation then start here.
The discussion above is intended to help you triage the many competing demands in your life, amidst a time of chaos, in order to create a space of greater order, from which you can begin to dream about what you want to create, and begin taking greater steps toward your desired future.
Check out Integrated Transformation at MikeMcGill.com if you would like assistance creating order from chaos and getting more of what you hope for from life.