Work and Rest

Getting It Together: Avoiding Stress and Focusing on Christ

Jan Stewart
Shooting in the kitchen at home,


Tips to Reduce Stress  

  • Organize intentionally.
  • Know your own limitations and energy levels.
  • Modify out-of-balance areas of your life.
  • Consider good options, then intentionally choose the best.
  • Prioritize what God wants you to do.
  • Revaluate activities before adding new ones.
  • Delete the “good” activities and choose only the “best”.
  • Ask yourself, “how busy is busy enough?”
  • When interruptions come, ask God to multiply your time.
     

As author and speaker Cindi Ferrini helped women in her church organize their homes, she incorporated the need for planning tasks and times of rest.

“I like to see people take my organizing plan and run with it, since it can be customized by anyone,” Cindi says.

She wants to see people make use of their time to God’s glory. She now leads the seminar called “Get It Together.”

The Incentive

When life’s pressures come, take time to stop, process what is happening and regroup. Then, counter stressors with rest or relaxation.

Managing a home with organization allows a person to make the most of their time, the best of their work and to make time for Sabbath rest. Cindi finds keeping her house in order allows her to entertain and welcome people at any time.

Everyone Can Benefit

  • Singles can run an efficient home alone or in cooperation with roommates.
  • Newlyweds can get the home in order before adding a family and relax as a couple more.
  • Men can show hospitality and enjoy a simpler life.

The Method

“I like to think what the next season of life looks like,” Cindi says.

She even uses a set of charts to plan throughout the year. The charts cover finances, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, seasonal items and weekly items.

There are downloadable work pages to help get you started on organizing your life and home.  

A Balance

Balancing one’s life doesn’t mean trying to totally control one’s life. Cindi defines a balanced life as one that avoids wasting time, but that allows enjoyment of family, friends and ministry. It involves managing time wisely according to Psalm 90:12.

To retain balance when “life happens”, it is essential to gain God’s perspective, she says. After several family crises, Cindi regained balance when she began resting, sleeping and relaxing more.

Application

Anyone can live an organized life, Cindi writes, but to do so, one must be intentional. “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established” – Proverbs 16:3.

Whether using Cindi’s plan or one’s own, organizing can allow for times of peace and rest.

 

Read Scripture on the Value of Rest:

Scripture says that there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

God’s Word has several passages encouraging rest: Psalm 37:7; Proverbs 14:33a; Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 6:31; Proverbs 17:22.

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