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Every year I choose a word to focus on.
This year it’s intentional.
I want to live a life with intention.
Not wasting a moment, making sure all I do is with purpose.
Intentionally love, intentionally be kind, intentionally forgive, intentionally show grace, intentionally be a friend, intentionally show someone that I care, intentionally be present.
Sometimes I catch myself struggling with being intentional. I’ll go through the motions of being kind, putting on a happy face, taking care of the details but not actually being present with those around me. I’ll walk away from situations thinking “Does that person know I care about them? How did I show it? Did they feel that I was a good friend? Was I present in conversation?”
We all can get caught up in the moment or flow with the waves of life, missing the moments that matter most.
In Luke 10, we see another person who struggles with missing the moment. Jesus and his disciples were traveling through a village, a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, soaking in every single one of his Words, completely engulfed in the moment. Martha, was in the kitchen preparing food and cleaning for her guests. While she had good intentions, she was missing out on what mattered most, spending time with her Savior.
Martha gets frustrated when she sees Mary with Jesus, since she thinks Mary should be helping her.
“But. Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”” (Luke 10:40-42).
As a 2 on the Enneagram, I relate to the helper qualities of Martha. I tend to get so caught up in the preparation, I miss out on the moment.
I tend to get so caught up in the preparation, I miss out on the moment.
In our culture today, I think a lot of us can relate.
We miss out on events because we are too preoccupied getting videos or photos of the action, we miss out on conversation because we are running at full speed through our to-do lists, we miss out on spending time with loved ones because we are constantly trying to keep up with the latest on socials. We miss out on helping strangers because we are taught to put ourselves first.
As my Pastor would say, we miss the forest for the trees.
How do we fix this? How do we live a life of intention? How do we live a life more like Jesus?
It’s not an easy process. It starts with just being in the moment. The more we take time to be aware of our surroundings, the more we will allow ourselves to be intentional.
In this day and age, we are all glued to our devices. So much so that sometimes someone has to physically move our heads away from the screen just to get our attention. Even when we are not on our phones, the pressure of success, status, and pace of life can be just as distracting. It’s easier to go through the motions, routines, and schedules, I get it. But if we really want to make a difference in this world, we need to be intentional.
Intentionally invite, intentionally listen, intentionally cherish, intentionally show the love of Christ.
Where do we start? First, the same place Mary does, with Jesus. He is the ultimate example of how to be intentional.
Jesus is the ultimate example of how to be intentional.
Other ways we can be intentional are:
- Paying for the coffee of the person behind you to show kindness.
- Speaking out your forgiveness to those who wronged you.
- Asking your loved ones how they are doing or what you can be praying for.
- Serving at a soup kitchen to show love to those who need it most.
- Write a letter to a loved one to let them know they are on your mind.
- Write a letter to a loved one to let them know they are on your mind.
- Schedule 20 minutes out of your day to shut off all electronics and have a conversation.
Be present. Let’s not waste moments in this new year, let’s be in them, intentionally.
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