How I Found My Calling in Total Home Organization

— by Kristy Edwards

Have you ever felt called to do something, and you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was God telling you to do it? 

I have. I deeply believe that my business, Neatly Balanced, is my calling. It may sound a little cliche or even indulgent – but I know for sure it is what I am supposed to be doing right now. 

I started Neatly Balanced to provide total home organization to clients. What is total home organization, you ask? It means getting rid of items clients no longer need and donating to various organizations that help those less fortunate. I also provide donation receipts so clients can see where their things go while also receiving a tax write-off. 

But how did I know that Neatly Balanced was my calling? Let me tell that story.

Every Calling Has a Story

It seems to me that every calling has a spark, a flashbulb moment where everything changes. It can be as simple as spending a summer afternoon playing with a DIY radio kit or grinding coffee beans with your mom. Or it can be something transformative, like coming up with a financial tool after God miraculously saves your family from debt.

But in almost every case, you know you’ve been called if there’s a story behind your “why.”

This idea for Neatly Balanced came to my mind years before it came to fruition, after a mission trip to Honduras in 2011. 

I grew up in a small town in North Carolina, to parents who gave me a simple and, in many ways, idealistic childhood. I was raised in a stable, two-parent family unit, and four years after I was born, a sister joined our family. We grew up not realizing we didn’t have a lot, because all we could dream of, we had. Dad worked at the Sheriff’s Department as a policeman, and my mom was a teacher before we were born but was a stay-at-home mom for the majority of our childhood. We were in church every time the doors were open and then some. I had a strict upbringing in every sense. I was always in church without question, and couldn’t date until I was sixteen, but because I was a product of the 80s, social media, and phones weren’t even a thought because they hadn’t been created yet. 

Fast forward to 2010, when my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. The disease quickly spread to his liver, and four months after he was diagnosed, he died. To say that has impacted every facet of my life since is the biggest understatement of my life. I miss him every day. 

One year after my father passed away, we took a mission trip to build a chapel in a very remote village in Honduras. The chapel was named in my dad’s memory. While we were there, I witnessed the happiest people I’ve ever met, people who had absolutely nothing but the shirts on their backs. Most did not have shoes, and they gave us their food so we could eat.

On the last day, a lady in a bakery discovered I was an American, and when I explained I was a nanny and asked to hold her baby, she tried to GIVE her baby girl to me. 

Then and there, Neatly Balanced was born.  

I was astounded that Americans have SO much, but we always want more. More, bigger, better. The people we met in Honduras didn’t have many material possessions, and yet they had the biggest smiles on their faces. Seeing their experiences inspired me to bring joy to my little corner of the world by showing clients how to not just survive but THRIVE on less. 

Calling is Personal

I have a past that includes sexual assault, unwed pregnancy, and a miscarriage. I’ve spent many years trying to figure out how all that looked for me – as a girl who grew up in a strict Christian home. These experiences ultimately brought me closer to God after the mission trip when the woman tried to give me her baby. It brought all my past full circle, and I felt like God was speaking to me through this woman in Honduras in terms of how I lost a baby and she was trying to give me hers. 

I knew God was telling me something, I just wasn't entirely sure what it was, then.

You see, for almost twenty years, my sexual assault, pregnancy, and miscarriage were my deepest secret that no one knew about. I was ashamed and felt like I had disappointed everyone who thought I was a perfect “good girl.” After lots of therapy, journaling, and personal work, I founded Neatly Balanced and realized we ALL have junk that needs sorting and cleaning out. 

Many internal issues come from undealt with junk. That's where my business comes in. By cleaning out the clutter in clients' attics and storage spaces, I’m able to help clients pinpoint other issues in their life that need to be sorted through as well to find more inner peace. God is still working in my life, but it’s so fulfilling to be able to let my personal story fuel my business.

Calling is Public

I travel nationwide sharing my story with teens, high school, college students, young adults, and moms. In this process, I’ve learned that God loves us exactly where we are, BUT He loves us too much to leave us there. I use my story as a launching pad to share with others how one or two bad choices do not have to dictate the path your life takes. 

I think that when we’re called to something, we feel an innate desire to share it. In a way, our callings are our testimonies. And as we read in the gospels, we’re supposed to let our lights shine in places of darkness. It is incredible to be able to share my testimony of walking through brokenness and finding healing in my identity in Christ, as part of the reason why I’ve started my business. Total home organization is part of the narrative of who God has created me to be. 

What Are You Called to Do?

One of the stories that encouraged me when I started my business is about the little boy on the seashore, which goes like this: A young boy was walking along the edge of the ocean, picking up stranded starfishing and throwing them back in the water. And old man came across the boy and grumbled, “You’re never going to save them all.” The boy picked up a starfish, threw it in the ocean, and said, “I saved that one.” 

Every single day a client will donate something and say something like, “I don’t know who could possibly need this,” and an hour later, I’ll get a text from one of the organizations I work with asking for the exact item. When I drop off donations, someone at the organization will almost always say, “We needed more of these so badly!” 

Knowing that I’ve made a difference in even just one client's life feels SO good. I know I can’t change or fix every person’s problems, but if I can help them experience the joy of generosity, I feel that I am truly changing the world little by little. And perhaps this is the heart of finding calling – using our gifts and talents to bless others, one day at a time. 

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At Faith Driven Entrepreneur, we’re passionate about helping people like you find their callings. Keep diving in and read our article “What Does it Mean to be Called?”

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