Is now the proper time to GIVE my attention to __thus and so___.

When I Worry: casting my cares on Him who cares
Good morning, Heavenly Father!
Thank You for this beautiful day! Please help me to make the most of it and be productive, but especially in my relationships as this is the meaning of life: First my relationship with You and second my relationship to my family and thirdly, my relationship with everyone else I come into contact with.
I was reading in the book You Can Do It -even if others say you can't by John Mason and the chapter was about worrying. At first I thought, "I am not a worrier. I don't worry. I am happy." :) Then I thought, "But wait, if worrying is the same as being anxious…oops." I admit to You that I am anxious. Please forgive me.
When am I anxious? 1. When I'm afraid something of mine will be broken. 2.  I'm afraid of germs.  3. When the house is messy. 4. etc. So I guess I do worry.
 What can I do about these?
1. All things belong to God and if I entrust something of mine to someone else and it gets broken or damaged or hurt, it really is God's anyway and not mine. LET GO, April! This is not to say that I do not take care of my things, but that I'm not to "worry" about it. God is in control, not April. Phew! What a relief!
2. Take proper precaution, help others to learn and take precaution and then guess what? LET GO, again! What can I do by worrying? Matthew chapter 6 Nothing worrying will add nothing to my day or my life, but can only consume it and make me ineffective, almost paralyzed.
1. The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? -Psalm 27:1
3.  
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Pasted from <http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=good%20and%20perfect%20gift&version1=47&searchtype=all>
This included my home. It is a gift and I should be sure to take excellent care of it. Clean up, and then let go! Once an area is clean, it will still need maintenance throughout the day. If I do a little here and there as I pass through a room.
 I think I need to remember what my goal is. If my goal is to have a spotless house all the time, I'm going to "freak out" if the couch pillows are not always where they should be-which I do in my head too often. If my goal is to glorify God and he has given me other tasks to do (which it is and He has)then I need to ask myself, "Is now the proper time to give my attention to the couch pillows?"  And if someone is using the couch, that is not the time to give my attention to the cushions, April.
Okay, this helps. I like that question, "Is now the proper time to GIVE my attention to __thus and so___." I think this will help me because it IS important that my home is clean (not dirty)  and neat (organized with everything in it's place) as it helps me to be able to function, breathe, and get other things done.  Seriously, I can't tell you the number of times I have gone into the kitchen to make lunch and found myself sweeping, scrubbing the stove, wiping countertops, doing laundry empting the dishwasher, etc all before making lunch. I just can't function with a mess and this is a GIFT! I just need to make sure I'm using it with correct priorities.
Another example just to clarify: Too many times, I rise in the morning with the intention of spending time with God at the beginning of my day and I'll say, "Oh, but I'll just run this dirty laundry to the washer and start a load quick. Which leads to through the living room where I notice that I need to pick up and fold the laundry that is in there next. Oh and then when I am putting the laundry away, I find the bathroom needs to be cleaned-just really quickly. ;)
 By the time I get to my devotions, I have proven that God is not #1 my first priority AND that I was not diligent-meaning, when I should have been cleaning, I put it off. I don't understand, yet, how that happens as I certainly don't mean for it to happen.
Thank You, Lord for giving me this question to ask myself! Also, thank You for the routine You have given me. I like routines. I just need to stick to it. What I decided to do was clean in the morning and do paperwork, computer work in the afternoon. This is effective for more than one reason. It helps me to see accomplishment and feel productive right away; therefore, when the computer work doesn't get done or I can't SEE the results of the computer work, at least my home is clean and in order! However, I  am excited to spend time with the Lord first, now before cleaning!
I think a goal of mine is to get up 45 minutes earlier, at 5am, so I can have my quiet time when the house is quiet. This will be even more effective. One step at a time. :)
Moral of the story:  "Let Him (God) have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you." (You Can Do It..pg 20)
"...casting all your anxieties on him, because(C) he cares for you."
Pasted from <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter+5:6-8&version=ESV>
How? As someone very smart once said, "Plan your work and work your plan."
Thank You, Lord, for revealing truth to me and areas that I can work on. Please remind me of the question I am to ask myself: Is now the proper time to GIVE my attention to __thus and so___. In Jesus' name, AMEN!  I think this could be turned into a couple of different blog posts...or maybe a book... :)