Does life seem overwhelming sometimes? Are there too many priorities demanding your attention, with too little time for each? Organizing time can be more difficult than organizing physical objects, but it brings as much, if not more, calm to your home and life. That calm leaves you better able to hear the Spirit and gives you the time to respond. Creating patterns for your day may be the key to creating a more joyful day everyday.
I don’t want you to think that I’m making this up. Patterns are important. In fact, even God uses patterns to organize and help us prioritize.
Creating the Earth with Patterns
The first book of Genesis lays out the days of creation simply and with repetition.
“On the first day, God created… and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”
“On the second day, God created… and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
“On the third day…” and so on.
Each of the six creative periods began and ended the same way, which created a pattern for each day. All of nature is full of the beautiful repetitions that He made. Is there a lesson in this first story of the Bible for us? I believe there are many, including the beauty of patterns.
Patterns in the Temple
In January I attended the temple with my husband. That time of year is usually a time of renewal and excitement, but I didn’t feel much of that. Instead, I was concluding a week of discouragement, exhaustion, and dread.
I had just started my first week of school online. I also had a six-month-old baby and a couple church callings. Because of this, balancing all my priorities was a struggle and I badly needed this night of spiritual upliftment at the temple.
So, I paid extra attention, opened my heart, and said a prayer. I expected that a particular doctrine or symbol would stand out, but it was nothing of the sort.
What hit me most were the patterns.
It started with the chairs. All four floral-patterned chairs in one room had a big pink flower placed in the exact same spot on the armrests. In fact, on the entire chair, the floral pattern had an identical placement on the backs, seats, and sides of all four.
The attention to detail impressed me, but something told me to think about it more deeply.
I started paying attention to other things in the room. The woodwork, the architecture, even the instruction in the ceremony, and I noticed something.
Repetition. Patterns. Symmetry.
I knew what would come next because I already knew what had come before. The only items that broke the symmetry and patterns were artworks of the Savior. As I sat and pondered in the Celestial Room I thought about the effect. The designs were beautiful, and all pointed to the Savior. They brought peace and calm by letting me know what was going to come next by remembering what had come before.
At that time, I was missing peace and calm in my life. It was not a coincidence that I was also missing repetition, symmetry, and patterns. I began to think more deeply about creating patterns and symmetry in my day, just as there were patterns in the days of Creation.
How does the Lord use patterns?
In Doctrine and Covenants 52:14, the Lord told Joseph Smith, “And again, I will give you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived.”
The gospel of Jesus Christ is full of patterns. For example, the pattern for revelation remains “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2). To know if something is right or wrong, the pattern is to look for the fruits and see if the fruits are good or bad (Moroni 7:11-12). Baptism always comes before the gift of the Holy Ghost. We go to church and take the sacrament each Sunday. Certain promises and blessings follow keeping the commandments.
These patterns make the gospel recognizable and testify that God follows eternal laws and patterns. This increases our trust in Him because we know that as follow the patterns He sets forth, He will too. We can know that He will always love, forgive, guide and help. That is the pattern He has set forth for those who keep His commandments.
There is power in inspired patterns. There are some patterns that are obviously inspired, such as the way we pray and perform ordinances. Others are less obvious but easily justified as inspired, such as holding General Conference at the same time each year or having scripture study at the same time each day.
How can we use patterns?
But could other patterns or repetitions be inspired?
Could that idea to go to bed and wake up earlier each day be from God? Could a clear and easy-to-follow morning routine? Or even creating a nap-time schedule?
There was only one way to find out. I began to look for ways I could practice repetition. Getting up early at the beginning of the day and going to bed early at the end. Making mornings and nights my family time. Following a pattern throughout each day so that I could know what to expect next.
I started with the basics and added more of a schedule as I was able. As I did, my priorities balanced themselves out. I was able to complete all the work I was required to do. I could let go of mom guilt by setting aside specific times of the day for playtime with my daughter. Through creating patterns, I created a more joyful day, every day.
We are in the midst of creating–we are creating a life, a home, a family, traditions, and goodness. Every day is meant to be a day of Creation in one way or another. God has given us an example of a great tool that He uses in His work. If we apply this tool to ours, we can see miracles.
Creating patterns:
- Don’t try to create an entire daily routine from scratch all at once. Try adding one new habit to your pattern a week, or even a month.
- Do you have a morning and evening routine? This is a fairly easy place to start.
- For kids, patterns are comforting and help them feel like they have more control over their environment. Try keeping naptimes at the same time and place each day, or create a clear, easy-to-recognize pattern for bedtime. (We always use the same stuffed animal and song so she knows that it’s time to sleep.)
- Mealtimes are a great place to incorporate repetition. Eating in the same room, always saying a prayer beforehand, and cleaning up right after eating are good patterns that make family life much smoother.
- Don’t forget the spiritual patterns! Pray, read the scriptures, meditate, or journal at the same time each day. You will be much less likely to forget or rush through them.