Philippians 3:13 My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.

"That's not how I raised you to keep a house."

“My sister's house always looks far more presentable than mine.”

“Why does Grandpa insist on working in the yard so much? It's like he wants to impress people.”

“Mom and Dad are coming over. We've got to get this place cleaned up!”

“We always had to make our bed before school while I was growing up.”

Do any of these thoughts or words sound familiar to you?

More than we may like to admit, our approach to organizing our home is flavored by our emotions and life experiences. If we grew up in a very clean home, we may want to carry on that expectation, or we choose to rebel against it, embracing “freedom.” If our efforts at organizing were never good enough in the eyes of others, we may throw in the towel. If friends or family members make passing snide comments about how things look or feel in our home, we feel angry, devastated, or plagued with guilt. We prepare for company by exhausting ourselves so we can live up to an image of being organized and "together."

In Philippians, Paul talks about looking forward, not backward. He had a lot that could have tripped him up in life...guilt about his past sins before coming to know Christ, for example. Yet he strived to keep his eyes on the Lord and on moving forward, doing what God wanted him to do rather than live by the expectations of others.

This is not to say that our past experiences can't be a good teacher or guide for our future choices. Hopefully we learned some good things about home and life management from relatives or friends. But each of us is going to have a unique style in our approach to managing the homes and lives God has given us. Some of us are going to be detail oriented while others will fly by the seat of their pants. We will entertain at various levels...some loving to be elaborate while others choose the simple approach.

The key is what is in our hearts. Are we managing our home the way we do to impress others? To avoid the snide comments? Or to create an environment where others can relax? Where we can serve without undue stress?

Take some time to think about how past experiences and emotions play into how you manage your home today. Pray about what you discover and ask God to give you the right heart for organizing according to His unique plan for you and your loved ones.