How My Sock Drawer Helps Me Pray

Guest Blog Post by Heather Bayless
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​Can I share with you a quirky confession?  ​Of all the areas of my home that need organizing, I am most particular about my sock drawer. ​ For years I have kept everything color coordinated to Pinterest perfection. 
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​Patterned socks go to the left, work socks in the middle, and tights to the right. It’s my favorite spot to organize. It’s not a drawer I’m about to throw open for my guests to inspect but I’m oddly proud of how well I manage that two feet of space. I don’t pretend to be perfect: my abode is full with uncared for corners and neglected nooks. My dining table is used more for junk mail than communion, and I write this after having eaten 10 York peppermint patties in one sitting. But there is something persistently important to me about this sock drawer. 

Photo Credit: Heather Bayless

Just last weekend I had an epiphany. While folding up after a big load of laundry I realized what I was actually doing was an act of service to myself. All the pleasure of matching pairs, folding seams exactly in line, color coding everything – was connected to something deeper. It wasn’t just visual satisfaction of seeing the job well done, it was an internal satisfaction as well. I had a bit of worth and pride tied to keeping up a part of my house no one would ever see. And then I realized I felt compelled to do so. In fact, I felt I was clearing my thoughts as I did it.

Wherever you are in your organization journey, you know well that any clutter of the physical space is second only to the clutter of the mental space. Unneeded memories or distractions keep us from prioritizing. These disturbances come up not just in the kitchen pantry but in our prayers and conversations as well. Thoughts feel jumbled. Our headspaces feel unable to focus. I, for one, have half of my prayers end up as grocery lists. It’s about when “Our Father” turns into “I need more bread and milk” that I remember I need to put things in order inside of myself and not just around my living room.

​Getting your house as well as your heart in order go hand in hand. Afterall, we occupy the home of our minds and hearts far longer than we ever stay in one room or at one address. You can see this connection when we shift our focus between our external cues (“This shirt is old and faded, where should I hang it?”) and our internal cues (“How does this shirt make me feel, what memories do I associate it with?”). Each consideration is a step toward mental peace. The mindset shapes the closet as much as the closet shapes the mindset. Even – surprisingly – for silly little sock drawers.
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You probably have your own version of the sock drawer: some part of your house or desk that you keep maintained with particular attention. Maybe it’s to serve as a standard to yourself. Maybe it helps you feel in check and like you’ve got it together. It helps you feel balanced. But what if it is also about getting your mind organized as well as your surroundings? It’s very likely that emotional upkeep is a service to our selves and God as much as anything else.

I don’t propose that God asks you to make Marie Kondo your next idol. As precious as she is, I would imagine she would rather fold my sweaters than execute judgement on the world. The ability to be inwardly and outwardly tidy is a virtue she holds, certainly, but it’s more in your power than you realize. I don’t mean to write about the theology of the linen cabinet, but I do wonder that if God wants to reinvent our lives why shouldn’t that include how we clean up around our house? Who said reinvention didn’t include internal and external houses equally?
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I invite you to wonder if God would like you to be more invisibly organized. There is no magic formula, nor a pattern of thinking that will lead you to the best way to organize your “sock drawer.” Maybe start with letting go of painful memories, or acknowledging some small feeling you’ve put off thinking about. Begin by seeing how inner tidiness will lead to better understanding yourself. And once you’ve started, you can celebrate with me and a York peppermint patty. I’ve still got a whole bag left somewhere around here. And while you’re over, could I show you my sock drawer?

Heather Bayless is a writer and photographer with a passion for slow travel and flair for the eclectic. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Heather graduated as a University Scholar from Baylor University where she concentrated in English, Great Texts, and Creative Writing. She currently lives in Cannes, France - join on her journey as she explores the south of France over on Instagram at @hthbay.

Photo Credit: Marcos Luna, @mlhphoto_ on Instagram

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