Although you may not have noticed, neither Kirsten nor I have posted to the blog in a long time. In fact, it’s been over two months since a post was added to our blog. When we first started our blog, the goal was to share posts about God’s grace and His work in our lives. We wanted to use it as a way to bring light and encouragement into the lives of others. We wanted to share our experiences with you as we strived to live like Jesus.

     We were full of excitement, hope, and ambition as we began the journey, but after months of posting to the blog every week, we became burned out. We no longer saw posting to the blog as a ministry opportunity or a privilege. We saw it as a chore or a task. We were excited for the off weeks when the other person would write a post. We struggled to find things to say and sometimes forced ourselves to write about issues that we weren’t passionate about at the time, just so we could say we posted for the week.

     Our hearts were not in the same state that they were when we started the blog, so we reflected and decided that we needed to readjust our expectations for posting so that we could once again align ourselves not only with the original mission of the blog but also with Jesus. We decided to focus on being more intentional with our posts. That means we might not post as often, but it also means that when you see posts from us, you can be sure we are posting them with authenticity because we believe there is value in them.

     In addition to being more intentional with blog posts, I have been focusing on being more intentional in all aspects of my life. There are many stories and verses in the Bible that show the intentional character of God. One story that comes to my mind is that of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. When the woman approaches, Jesus asks her for a drink. He didn’t have to talk to her. Most people wouldn’t have said a word, but Jesus was intentional about his interactions with her. When I think about why Jesus interacted with her, I think about a quote from Jesus that is mentioned in three of the gospels: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Luke 5:31, Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17). I believe God’s intentionality is what allowed and continues to allow Him to bring healing to the sick and be a light to those in the dark. If Jesus wasn’t intentional with his relationships on earth during the time He was here, I don’t think He would have interacted with the people He did. If He wasn’t intentional about being present, I don’t think He would have been able to further the Father’s kingdom in the way that He did. If he hadn’t been intentional with His words and actions, I don’t think miracles would have happened and I think there would have been a greater lack of faith in even more people.

     As I reflected on the need to be intentional and Christlike, I decided that I needed to be intentional with my time, relationships, and resources. One of the biggest changes for me has been learning to be intentional in my interactions with others. I just finished up the school year working in a fifth-grade class, which could be exhausting at times. Trying to keep twenty-four students from fighting with each other, while trying to get them to get their work done in an eighty-degree room wasn’t an easy task. There were times where I felt like I wasn’t good enough. There were times where I felt like I was running on empty. There were times where I didn’t show the light of Christ. Then, my mindset changed. I decided that I needed to be intentional about showing God’s love each and every day. Many of those students don’t feel valued or appreciated at home, and I realized that I might be the only glimpse of Jesus those students got each day. I started praying each day as I went to work, “God, please shine through me today. Please help me to be intentional and to remember that I am representing you in this classroom. Please help me to stay positive and to have my thoughts, words, and actions reflect You and Your character.”

     Then, when my attitude at work changed and I was more intentional there, I started to focus on being more intentional with my friends and family. Even when I had a tiring day at work, I came home and tried to focus on being present. I tried to be intentional with my friends by writing them letters or sending them encouraging texts. I tried to be intentional with my family by playing card games with them rather than watching TV in my room. These little ways that I can be intentional have helped me to appreciate the phase of life I am in.

     There are times where I just want to rush on to the next stage of life. Sometimes (ok, a lot of times), I want to just fast forward to that day where I’ve graduated college, paid off my student loans, and settled in somewhere with a career and a family. But, when I try to be intentional in the way that Jesus showed us, I realize that I am not guaranteed that day or that life. If I want to be making a difference for the kingdom of God, I need to be intentional with the time and resources that I have now. I need to live in each moment, rather than tolerating it while waiting for the future. When I am intentional about making the most of where I am now, I am able to strengthen my own relationship with Christ, while showing Him to others.

     My intention in sharing all of this with you is not to boast, and I can assure you I still am not one hundred percent intentional in everything I do. My next goal is to be more intentional about how I spend my time with God. I want to work on getting the most out of the time I spend praying, reading my Bible, and listening to God. I don’t want to treat that time as just another item on my to-do list. I want to be intentional about drawing as near to Him as I possibly can. I am choosing to continue to focus on intentionality in all aspects of my life.

     So, my challenge to you is to try to be more intentional in your life. It may be easier to pick one part of your life to focus on to begin with, but don’t stop there. Keep working on different aspects until everything in your life is rooted in purpose and intentionality. Maybe you need to be more intentional about how you interact with your coworkers so that you can show them the love of Christ. Maybe you need to be intentional about choosing to spend time with God each day or about making that time valuable. Maybe you just need to get off of your phone and be present when you are with those you love. As you work to be more intentional, remember the ways in which God was intentional when He created the world, when He created you, and when He offered grace and forgiveness. Remember the ways He has intentionally worked in your lives and the lives around you. As you reflect on His intentionality, begin to implement it in your own life, and whatever you choose to work on, I hope that being intentional will enrich your life in the same way it has enriched mine.

Author: Mollie