“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

Jesus came to give us freedom. Unfortunately, the enemy is ever so adept at taking God’s blessings and twisting them into bondage. That’s why Paul says, in Ephesians 5:15-17,

“See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Because the “days are evil,” they can threaten to fill my time and distract me with things that are contrary to godliness. If I am not aware and purposeful as to how I live, other things will subtly creep in and lead me down the path of folly.

I’ve found that going with the flow is often an illusion. I’m not talking about a lack of flexibility in my life. But the “stuff” of life still has to be dealt with, sooner or later – the meals, groceries, bills, taxes, etc. I have yet to burst into spontaneous meal planning, just for fun, or scrub the bathroom because the mood just struck me. No task takes care of itself as I go merrily flitting through my day! The great paradox is that routines and structure are actually very freeing. They are the keys to the shackles, not the shackles I once thought them to be.

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40

Planning and following a routine allows me to obey God, and enables me to make the best use of my time. In fact, routines free me up so I can take advantage of spur-of-the-moment fun and activities. In addition, having a routine means that meals are planned and ready at dinnertime, I wake up to clean dishes in the dishwasher, and homeschool happens according to plan.

Whether you’ve never tried routines or even if you have, I’d like to encourage you to try adding one small thing this week. Maybe you’ll pick out clothes for the next day before you go to bed. You might plan meals for the next few days before you go grocery shopping. What if you took just five minutes to sort through one stack of mail? None of these takes much time, but each will offer you just a little more freedom in your day.