The Tupperware Cupboard

I was catching up with a friend a few weeks ago and she mentioned that she had been reading my blog. Hooray! It's always exciting when you find that real people are reading along at home. It's like dreams coming true. Or having all the pegs matching on the line when you hang up the clothes.

Anyway, my friend suggested I do a post on my Tupperware cupboard, because I'm apparently really creative and organised so I must have an amazing creative way of organising my Tupperware cupboard that really should be shared with the world. I'm not sure this is true, but I have been giving this post a bit of thought. I also figure, I don't get requests on what to post often, so when I do get them, I'd probably actually consider giving the people what they want, right?

So my Tupperware cupboard. It's the top shelf of a corner cupboard in the kitchen and is actually often organised. I wouldn't consider the organisation very creative or special though. I put all of the same sized containers together and put the lids underneath. The squarish containers go in one bigger box, the round containers together in another. And so on and so forth. The ones I use frequently sit at the easiest to access corners, while the ones used less often are farther back.

As you can see, it's not really anything to write home about. The more I thought about this post, the more I thought: "Isn't this common sense? Doesn't everyone organise their Tupperware the same kind of way?" And I suppose they do. I mean, people generally know what they are supposed to do to keep things in order. Throw or give away stuff you are not or will never use for example. Easy in theory, but not really in practice because we get all clingy and needy about stuff that really doesn't matter. So just like me, the Tupperware cupboard does not always stay as organised as it should.

I know there are factors like small children (who are actually allowed to play in the cupboard (shake your heads at me people, but I'd rather them play in the safe plastic cupboard in the kitchen while I cook than in the completely unsupervised living room where anything could happen)). But there are also factors like general lazyness. And complete disregard for order. Or the simple fact that it's just easier to open the door and throw the stuff in, rather than crouch down (cue the strange ache in my knees that must mean I'm getting old) and put it away properly.

My Tupperware cupboard suffers from all of these things at one time or another. Just the same way that my spiritual life does. I know that for things to function the way they are supposed to, I should be doing things like actually spending time with God. Reading my bible. Praying. It's common sense right? But in the same way that when I'm putting things away and I like to open the door and just throw the plastic stuff in to land where ever it may, I often just give God a quick glance and then move on. It's just easier to say "Thanks God," for something small and feel that I've said a prayer, rather than actually getting on my knees and talking to him properly.

I'm lazy. I'm busy. I'm letting small children run me over without stopping to teach them to put things back where they came from. I need discipline to actually get things going right. I feel it's not a popular thing to talk about, but having the discipline to actually do what we should do, rather than what is quick or easy, is actually really important. We don't like to admit it, but discipline is good for us. God disciplines us when we need it (check out Hebrews 12 (especially verses 4-13)), and we need to discipline ourselves for his work (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (there are so many more verses too BTW)).

So what do we need to keep our spiritual lives in order? Probably the same kind of discipline we need to keep our Tupperware cupboards in order. Maybe the next time you are going to put something away, you can remind yourself of the discipline God wants you to exercise in your spiritual walk as well.