Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
-Matthew 9:17
Jesus told John the Baptist’s disciples that people don’t put new wine in old wineskins because the skins will burst and the wine will be wasted. “Put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved,” Jesus said (Matt. 9:17, NASB). This biblical principle is one that as a Certified Professional Organizer, I frequently pass on to my clients.
Like you many who are ready for a change feel like they are stuck, overwhelmed and unable to move forward. You might be unaware that clutter has a way of keeping you unable to focus and trapped in a quality of life you no longer wish to continue.
That’s where having a Christ-centered approach to organizing makes the difference end to cycle of decluttering and organizing the same spaces time and time again. You learn to stop pouring your new wine (new organization methods) into your old systems. Allow His Spirit and His Word to lead an guide you as you change your methods and systems for an organized home.
A simple example is swapping out the placement of kitchen dishes with another cabinet because the space in the old cabinet does not fit the size of the dishes. Working with clients I recognize they have married their placement for so long, they wouldn’t dream of a re-arrangement! They want the new wine…a kitchen well organized, but they sabotage those dreams because they resist the physical change. (Old wineskins)
With God as the anchor in all I do as a professional organizer we begin with a mental renovation project, demolishing old thought process before new ones can emerge. The task is not impossible, but it will require taking these steps:
- Breaking free from the fear of change. Change is inevitable…but in order to move forward will require patience and trust. We need to trust God that He will supply you with new insights, and we must have the patience while adopting these new systems. Go slow. Adopting too many changes at once will lead to disappointment and frustration. It takes a long time for wine to mature!
- We must be willing to defy tradition. People who are married to the past cannot embrace the future. “That’s the way I’ve always done it” will not work in this attempt to de-clutter your life. Choosing what is comfortable will not always work, and here is where the experiment of adopting new procedures comes into play. Play the change game for two weeks. Stretching your comfort-zone, along with a new mental awareness, can produce inspiration and greater changes that were never anticipated. I see this not only from my clients, but from their families as well.
- We must ask the Spirit to reveal His new strategies. We all see through a glass darkly, and coming into any situation, we bring our own lenses. I need God’s perspective to shed His light into the true needs of the situation. Pouring old wine into new wine skin can also burst the wine pouch. Seek first His directions through prayer and trust that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you new concepts, ideas and strategies that you may never have thought of. I’m always amazed how God never lets me down when I ask!
I believe the Lord wants to unleash a gushing river of new wine into your chaos of disorder. What is old must be renewed by the Spirit, what is outdated must be remodeled, and what is ineffective must be replaced. God wants to do a new thing. Time to toast with new wine!
Now it’s your turn…When desiring new strategies, what patterns of old thinking did you have to delete from your brain?
Need helping bringing order to your life and home?
Grab a free chapter of the book, Organize His Way, A Christ Centered Approach to Organizing Your Life and include Him in the process for life changing results.
