#whatisyourintention by: Deborah Ard
I have many roles: wife, mother, teacher, friend, daughter, sister, church member, Origami Owl designer, and more. I am sure you also have many roles. Our lives are so busy and we are constantly on the go. As you may have read earlier on our blog my word for 2019 is intention. For me that means being mindful of the decisions I make, the actions I take and being aware of how my decisions and actions affect others in my life.

When I graduated from college I moved back in with my parents. At the time my grandmother and my Uncle Buddy were also living there due to declining health. My parents had a monitor in Uncle Buddy’s room so they could hear him if he called or needed something. One particular day I was sick so I was at home from work. Therefore I had the monitor in the room with me so I could hear Uncle Buddy in case he needed me. For the most part there was no sound being made other than the sound of the tv. Then I heard Uncle Buddy talking and my ears perked up to hear what he may need. This is what I heard him saying. “It is now my intention to change the station.” And then the sound of various channels until he stopped on the one he wanted. Then he said, “It is now my intention to increase the volume.” And the volume became louder. And then he was content with the tv and proceeded to watch.
As I told my parents this story later that day we chuckled about it. But Uncle Buddy was truly being mindful of the choices he was making. We too need to practice being aware of our choices and actions. My way of being intentional will look different than your way of being intentional. Both are valid and important. Being intentional will also look different on different days and in different seasons of our lives. Below is the scripture I chose to guide my being intentional.
“Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate time! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” Ephesians 5:11-17 MSG
This may seem like a strange passage to choose but what speaks to me is “Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.”
Therefore I have begun a new morning routine. Previously I had begun a practice I learned about from Rachel Hollis, author of Girl Wash Your Face. She calls it her “start today” journal. I simply use a spiral notebook. I write down 10 gratitudes, 10 dreams, and 1 goal. She has a process of arriving at the dreams that she explains on one of her Rise podcasts. You should check it out. I have adapted this process and now instead of 1 goal I am writing a list of intentions for the day. The intentions are much like a “to do” list but they are directly related to the 10 dreams I have. I do all this after I have had my devotion and prayer time so that I can have God’s guidance and direction in the steps I should take each day. I want to “understand what the Master wants.” This is probably a more in depth process than you may want or need right now. But this is part of my journey of being intentional. My intention is to be the best me I can be. I want to show up in all my roles in the best way possible. Today I encourage you to prayerfully consider “what is your intention?” Perhaps take some time pondering your dreams and the direction you are headed and then be sure your intentions are in line with that direction. Allow God to guide and direct this process so as to “Make sure you understand what the Master wants.”