“What does it mean to be intentional? It means you are purposeful in word and action. It means you live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling to you. It means you make thoughtful choices in your life. Being intentional means you actively interact and engage with your life.”
I’ve been learning a lot about what it means to be intentional these past few weeks. It really started when I was watching Sadie Robertson’s “Hey Sister” virtual conference.
Sadie asked one of her friends how she is SO intentional with God, and I love what she said because I related to it so much. Her friend then began to talk about how it’s been really hard for her to be intentional with God during Quarantine.
I’m really glad she said this because I was in the same boat. It seems like everyone I talk to and everyone I have been around during quarantine has grown so much in their relationships with God because we’ve had so much TIME.
While I am happy for my friends and family I was feeling the exact opposite. I was struggling. With a sudden loss of structure I found it hard to keep up my alone time with God, and the farther I strayed away, the harder it was to open up my Bible or write in my prayer journal.
After the conference was over, I opened my prayer journal to the last time I wrote a full page. The date was April 21, 2020
That meant that I had gone a little over THREE WHOLE MONTHS without my routine.
THREE WHOLE MONTHS of not being intentional with God. Immediately after that I picked up my routine again, and let me tell you, I feel SO much better.
I want you to know that if you stray away, it’s never too late to come back.
I literally felt like the prodigal son, and the sheep Jesus left the ninety nine for.
REALLY.
Now I want to talk a little bit more about what it means to be intentional.
I started this post with a definition I found on Google, and I absolutely love it!
Being intentional is something you do on purpose. Something you set aside time for, and intentionality isn’t just about your relationship with God.
It has to do with your words
Your actions
Your relationships with people
and so much more.
I want to break these down.
Your words - you have to choose your words carefully because they are going to reflect who you are as a person. You want to speak kindly & lovingly to people & make it a priority.
your actions - you have to make sure just like with your words that your actions line up with who you are. You need to show people who you are, and by being intentional about these things it shows how much you care,
Your relationships with other people - now, just like your relationship with God, if you’re not intentional in your relationships they are going to die out.
Relationships are like a plant; you have to water them in order for them to grow. If you don’t water them they are going to wither away.
Being intentional in a relationship could be something as simple as texting someone to say you are thinking of them.
Also, you don’t have to see someone in person in order to be intentional about your relationship. In order for your relationship to flourish the both parties have to be intentional with each other.
Relationships are work. If you don’t do the work it’s going to drag you down.
Lastly, I want to encourage you with some tips to stay intentional with God.
Maybe you don’t know what to do. You don’t know where to start, so I’m going to tell you what my routine is.
In the morning I listen to at least one worship song & read a devo (depending on the devo you may take notes as well.)
At night I write in my journal, just my thoughts for the day and any prayers or praises I may have. Then I read through a chapter of the Bible, and lastly I read a Bible plan on the youversion Bible app.
Everyone’s quite time looks different. Yours doesn’t have to look exactly like mine. In fact, it shouldn’t. I want to encourage you to pray to God and ask Him what your time with Him should look like.
I pray that this encourages you, and reminds you that you are not alone. Being intentional is hard ya’ll, but the more you put it into practice the more it will become second nature.
Let’s be intentional today friends!