He Gives us Choice

I want to live a life of intentionality.

in·ten·tion noun in-ˈten(t)-shən

1: a determination to act in a certain wayDefinition of INTENTION

I’m pretty bad
at this. I often have a desire to
act-to live-in a certain way, but when it comes down to the determination, I
often fall short.

Six months ago
as I was nearing the end of the World Race, I made the decision to postpone
grad school for a year. I posted a blog about it which included this: “A few weeks ago I began journaling about what I would
want to do if I decided to return home without a plan-no job, no school,
nothing. I wrote down that I want to spend quality time with my family, my
relatives, and my friends. I want to write. I want to learn guitar. I want to
visit friends from Loyola and from Teach For America. I want to go to IHOP (the
house of prayer, not the house of pancakes…though that would work, too). I
want to find a church to attend in Michigan. I want to make
“ask-the-Lord” ministry a regular part of my life. I want to run a
5k. I want to spend time with my sister up at college. I want to invest in
people’s lives and love them well. I want to slow down. I want to learn to
live well and to dream big dreams again.“

The five months I spent at home began with a great
deal of intentionality, though as time went by I found the desire was still
there, but the determination was fading. While I’m okay with the fact that
there are things on the above list that did not come to pass, I’m not okay with
is being a person who lets life happen to me, a mere spectator in my existence.
I know God has made me with a purpose too great to let life pass me by. I want
to be surrendered to God, giving Him control over my life, yet the truth is
that he gives us choice on how spend our time, the values we choose to
live by, what we do each day, who and how we serve, and ultimately the people
we decide to be.

I’m going to spend time today and throughout this
next week being intentional about spending time with the Lord and
deciding with him what I am going to commit to for my time here in Georgia. The
giftings I want to grow in. The people I want to invest my life and my time in.
The type of co-worker, roommate, friend, disciple, daughter, and sister I want
to be. The principles and values that I want to be at the center of my
day-to-day living.

If you’re finding the life you’re living is getting
in the way of the life you desire to live, maybe you should take some time to
do this, too.

By this time next week I am determined to post a
blog sharing some of my decisions with you about the things I am choosing to be
intentional about during my time here in Georgia (And by this time next week
the thank you letters and Newsletter I’ve been meaning to address and put in
the mail will be in your hands or en route to your homes!). Here’s to a season
of intentionality!