Article August 21, 1989 Issue

Keeping everything in spiritual order

Is our life dominated by the need for order? Maybe what's really needed is to spiritualize our concept of order.

Carol R. Panerio

Order had always seemed important to me—even from the time I was small. I can remember my mother's remarking on my orderliness—on the fact that I would, for example, make a special trip down the stairs to straighten a throw rug. I took pride in my orderliness. School papers were always neat. Drawers were kept organized.

As I grew up I began to notice that this "virtue" had some negative aspects. When working in the kitchen, I spent almost as much time cleaning the counter as I did cooking or baking. With messy projects I felt tense and compelled to finish quickly so that I could put things back in order. Having little children around was difficult because they were messy and scattered toys. Having guests visit was difficult because not only the house but the schedule got disordered. And worst of all, when things were a mess, I couldn't think!

It never occurred to me that there was anything unreasonable in my orderliness until two things began to bother me. First, I spent such a large portion of each day putting material things in order that I rarely seemed to progress beyond it to the more uplifting, spiritual things I wanted to pursue—deep prayer and study, and wide reading. Second, I was tired much of the time. I began to wonder if the orderliness was directing me, or I it, because something other than reason seemed to be in control.

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