We humans are quite the categorizers and it's a good thing, this business of slotting both the concrete and the abstract into categories. Be they buttons, finances, volunteer lists or everything and anything else one can imagine, there must be a way of keeping them all in order.
On a personal level, these past few weeks I been busy sorting out these weekly columns. Since I penned that first piece and saw it appear in the second issue of Estevan Lifestyles, I've written and had published somewhere between eight hundred fifty and nine hundred weekly articles. I've kept every newspaper "tear sheet" (i.e. printed copy) and now am the proud possessor of approximately seventeen years worth of paper. A few months ago I decided it was time to empty the filing cabinet drawers and cardboard boxes, sort each article by topic and then (gulp!), use the paper as this winter's fire starters for the sons' wood-burning stoves.
First step, decide on a maximum of twelve general categories. That's done. The next step has been far more tedious and it's far from complete: sort through the articles, one drawer or box at a time and put each article in the correct Category pile. Between all that effort I've set up a computer spread sheet with spaces for Category, Title and Publication Date. One by one I've been typing in the information with hopes that someday a series of devotional books might be published.
Organization doesn't come naturally to me, I've had to learn that skill. What I am grateful for, though, is the on-going recognition of my need to keep priorities in order. I love how the disciple John stated it:
"He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so." John 3:30, AMP
Jesus first, me second. Success!
