WHICH FILE OR PILE

“All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.”  Proverbs 15:15

Failing is part of coping in this fallen world, but we are supposed to learn from our mistakes.  However, there are some things that seem to take some people forever to learn no matter how hard they try!
Take me for instance.  A few years back (well… quite a few) I attended Business College and passed all my courses with good standing.  That is all but one!  Seems I had trouble grasping this subject back then, and still have a problem with it to this day.  I have improved marginally over the years, but for the amount of time and energy I have given to overcome this failure, I really should be acing this subject, not crawling up to a pass!
I will come right out with it and tell you that… I FAILED FILING!  I know, I know, “How can anyone fail filing?” you say.  Well, it seems to come quite easily to me.
I keep a fairly neat and tidy home, no problem there.  I can organize my cupboards, closets, dinner parties, rooms, children, my blog, the internet, computers (I love electronic gadgets) and the like, but when it comes to filing, I completely and utterly fail!
Also I was, and am constantly searching for pieces of paper!  They are often small as I grab any bit of paper on which I can scribble some important piece of information.  Or they could be in one of the many scribblers I use for different subjects.  It could also be a big piece of paper that I have filed, but cannot remember under which file or pile that I filed it???
I have literally piles of valuable (valuable to me) information heaped here and there as well as in filing cabinets to call upon at the appropriate time that God brings it to my attention.  Unfortunately the same old question always rears its ugly head… “Which File or Pile did I put that?”  And so the searching begins!
Computers give me nominal success, but I still have to remember what name I used to file the document. One reason for better success is that I don’t use them for all the little notes or papers I gather, so it is easier to browse through files looking for names that may provide a clue.
Long ago I thought I had the perfect solution for this failing of mine.  I had been using a large box in which to throw all these ‘gems of encouragement’.  Finding anything in the box though was just adding to the problem, and always took so much of my time searching.
I felt the solution at the time was to add another filing cabinet or two to my existing one, and to rename the files so that I would be able to find what I needed.
So I took myself to Zellers where I found two file cabinets that could be mounted on top of each other and put on wheeeeeels!  That was great as far as I was concerned!  Not only could I organize my files, but also re-organize my office by easily wheeling the files around the room.  To me they were the perfect solution, and so…. I brought them home!
Enthused and confident that I was getting on top of my problem, I came up with what I hoped were appropriate labels and began to file the papers into my new file cabinets from my overflowing box.
Unfortunately time, as it usually does, ran out on me.  I still had a stack of papers to process and it was time to begin preparing my articles for my next edition of PANews.  During this time I had also been gathering more ‘gems’ that held promise!  My office now had new/old papers on my desk, table, bed, old filing cabinet, new filing cabinets, file box, along with some papers crumpled up and thrown into the garbage!
The good news was I had all these papers in neat piles around the room ready to be filed under the new labels in the new filing cabinets!  However, as I worked away the question remained the same as before I bought the cabinets… “now which file or pile did I file that?”
Things haven’t improved that much today.  When I look around my present office I see piles of files in yes, a new file box, a couple of new desk-top filing units, filing cabinets, plus other files and piles throughout the closet or on and under some desks.  Thankfully I have no bed in this office!
I do take great comfort though in 2 Corinthians 12:9 especially where it says… “My power is made perfect in weakness.”  So Lord, take this weakness of mine and help me to step forward boldly so that You can once again try to teach this old dog a few new. . . old tricks.
I must say that I am still fully determined (and assured at this moment in time) that I will eventually “pass filing”, hopefully before the Lord takes me home!  Of course after that it won’t matter!
Now explain to me once again Lord…

If I have an article with the title “IMPOSTOR”, under what letter of the alphabet should it be filed?
Oh Yes. . . of course!
Under “S” for SATAN right?

I think I’m finally getting the hang of this!  

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