Or is your backpack sterile enough to store surgery instruments? Have you alphabetized your books? Do you file every birthday card you receive?

Take the following quiz to learn how organized you are!

1. Your English class is going to a play. The signed permission slip has to be returned by tomorrow. You
a. suspect it’s on your desk, dig through everything there, and yell “Yes!” when it appears between your pen pal’s last card and the youth group newsletter.
b. immediately go to the wire basket marked “School” on your dresser. The form’s been there since your dad signed it last week.
c. scream hysterically after three hours of fruitless searching. Maybe the teacher will give you an extra one and let you turn it in late.

2. The youth group’s going swimming at the indoor pool. You haven’t used your bathing suit since last summer. You
a. paw through your dresser drawers and finally find it squeezed behind some jeans. It needs washing but it’ll do.
b. know it’s in your top drawer, clean and neatly folded. You get it out, along with a towel, two days before you need it.
c. plead with your sister to loan you hers. Yours could be anywhere in the house. Or did you leave it at the lake last August?

3. You pull out your Bible for devotions. Last time, you finished Luke. You
a. flip to the Old Testament, since you alternate between it and the New Testament. What did you study there last? You’re not sure. So you’ll be certain in the future, from now on you’ll write down each book when it’s completed.
b. consult your Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year schedule to see what book is next. You wouldn’t even consider starting anywhere else.
c. close your eyes and open the Word randomly. Wherever you are is where you’ll begin. Who can remember what you read before Luke?

4. When your mom returns from a weekend away, she asks about messages. You
a. tell her to hold on while you locate them. You’re pretty sure they never left the kitchen.
b. point to several sticky notes neatly lined up next to the phone. You’ve been doing this since you were 8.
c. assure her she got calls. You couldn’t find a pencil to write them down, but you think there was a lunch meeting for next Wednesday. Or was it Thursday?

5. A girl from church thanks you for praying for her dad’s surgery last week. You
a. ask how he’s doing. You found the note about him in your Bible and prayed a few times. But then you sort of forgot about it. Next time you promise yourself you’ll post the note so you can remember every day.
b. can honestly tell her, “I wrote the request in my journal and prayed for him every day.”
c. change the subject. You really meant to lift him up to God, but it was a busy week, and it totally slipped your mind.

6. When Kyle calls and asks what to bring to the student council meeting, you
a. tell him to try you again in a half-hour. Either the list of things will turn up in your room or you’ll call Liz to find out what was on it.
b. retrieve the list from your bulletin board where it’s been since the last meeting and read it to him.
c. confess you have no clue, but make him promise to ask around and let you in on it. You’d hate to walk into the meeting unprepared.

7. Kristen wants you to bring your new CD to her house. You
a. check through the cases on your CD player. If it’s not there, your brother must have borrowed it. You’ll track him down next.
b. pull it out of the CD rack. Since you brought it home from the store, it’s either been there or playing.
c. tell her you’re not allowed to take CDs away from home. If you admitted you hadn’t seen it for two days, she might offer to come look for it, and that would really be a disaster!

Scoring:
Mostly a’s: You’re pretty typical. You aren’t the most organized person in the world, but you can usually lay your hands on what you need. A little more organization could make your life less stressful as well as keep others happier with you. Ask God to help you take a few extra minutes to work on the areas that bother you — or someone else — most.

Mostly b’s: You seem to be super-organized. God is a God of order, so it’s good to have a handle on keeping your things and life on track. Just make sure you’re not spending so much time organizing that you neglect God or others. And don’t condemn those who lack the skill you have.

Mostly c’s: Organization is definitely not your style. Your lack of it causes problems for you, your family and friends. It wastes time and effort you could be using more wisely. Pray, and then get a book or ask a friend for help. Start with the area that causes you the most hassle. You’ll probably never be Miss Organization, but you can improve, one area at a time. And that might make your life a lot less stressful.