The original version of this post first appeared May 15, 2026 on the Faithful on the Clock Substack.
Every couple of weeks, I get the itch. I look at my pantry shelves and compulsively clean them up. My family has a tendency to grab what they need and then haphazardly toss it back. After just so long, I can’t visually take the mess anymore.
Brown wooden shelf with bottles, Annie Spratt on Unsplash
The last time I did this, it took me about 20 minutes. Not horrible. But as I adjusted my peas, graham crackers, and other items, I thought about how many times I’ve asked my family to put what they use back where it was.
The lure of shoving
We have a lot of motivations for shoving. Fear. Exhaustion in the moment. Lack of confidence. Even excitement about something else. It feels easier to shove the item wherever it’ll fit, rather than to be precise, even though the time required isn’t much different and all it asks of them is a little mindfulness.
But the more shoves there are, the higher the later cost gets.
Time where, eventually, somebody has to come in and fix it.
What would you want to do with 20 minutes instead of moving peas?
Maybe you could finally take a shower or read that book on your desk.
Maybe you could read the Word or pray.
I’m not saying we all have to be perfectly organized and always stick rigidly to a process. But actions have downstream consequences, and often, taking the easy route builds a penalty that slowly accumulates until the mess is so big that it stops us from doing anything else until we address it.
Where in your life are you just shoving things back on the shelf?
The benefit of preventing accumulation
In Christ, we can do all things, including take every thought and behavior captive (Philippians 4:13, 2 Corinthians 10:5). And Scripture is a comprehensive example of God making sure we are exactly where we belong — not in the bramble, but safe with the Good Shepherd with the rest of the flock in His house.
There’s practical efficiency for service in this principle.
Have you ever forgotten you had something or lost it? How did you feel when, after putting in a bunch of money or effort to get what you needed, you found what was lost or discovered you already had it?
Stewarding in the moment translates to greater quantifiable success by all the world’s usual terms. But more importantly, it means that we can do more for the Master, because we have taken stock. Instead of being unsure of what’s buried behind the graham crackers and putting in unnecessary effort to get a second time what we don’t realize is present, we can readily apply what’s available to us.
Inconvenience often isn’t inconvenience at all
Ours is an immediate gratification world, and our temptation because of that is to slowly make a mess of it. Resist that temptation. Go through the “inconvenience” of handling small trouble right away, because every tiny moment of obedience offers the freedom of growth and decorum.