I love the movie, “You’ve Got Mail.” The interactions between Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly and Tom Hanks as Joe Fox are so very entertaining. I actually enjoy, Pride and Prejudice, even more now, because I recall the scene where Joe Fox is taunting Kathleen about her wondering, with each read, if Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy will really end up together.
Early in the movie, Kathleen and Joe exchange computer chat messages without realizing that they are actually engaging with each other instead of random strangers in a chat room. They don’t realize that they are each talking to the competition, but Joe gives Kathleen a piece of advice. He tells her to fight for her little bookstore, and whenever she feels like she is afraid to make a bold decision, she needs to remember, “It’s business. It’s not personal. It’s business.”
But later in the movie, after she has had to close her precious store, Joe comes to see Kathleen while she is ill. It is this scene of interaction that is my favorite in the whole movie.
As they are sitting there, and Kathleen is speaking directly to Joe, that conversation gets brought up. Her response? “Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.”
I love that!
Well, in keeping with that theme, I will say to you, “Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being intentional.”
Intentional is the only way that you are going to purposefully accomplish what you set out to accomplish.
But before we talk more about that, let’s talk about what being intentional is NOT. It’s not being perfect. Nothing in life is perfect. The only one perfect is Jesus, and that is a standard you can aspire to reach, but let’s face it, that’s all you can do for that one.
The other thing it is not, is rigid. News flash… LIFE HAPPENS! Every day, every minute, every second is a changing, fluid existence. You can do an outline for your day, and you can (and should) ask God for guidance on your day. But things change and break your schedule, and you have to learn to move with them. Changes, however, shouldn’t derail you. It should just temporarily move the track around the obstacle with the train still on it.
So what does intentional mean? It means that you are not being haphazard in your decisions and actions. You are not leaving things to chance.
You don’t wake up one day with strong, defined muscles because you accidentally worked out every day. You don’t lose that 20 pounds because you accidentally implemented a new structured eating routine and changed your habits.
And whether you think you can be intentional or not, let me remind you that you already apply this to several areas of your life. You already make it a point to brush your teeth every morning because you don’t want to have bad breath. You have a daily bedtime ritual. If you have school-aged children, you get them to school each day. You show up for work on time. You make sure that your car has enough gas. You water your plants several times a week. Ok, maybe that one is a stretch for some of you… but you should be doing that!
The point is, you know HOW to be intentional. But for some things, you CHOSE not to be intentional.
If you want to reach any type of goal, you are going to have to be intentional. Period. How successful you are in obtaining that goal is directly proportional to how intentional you are about it.
For the health program that I coach, I teach my clients to be intentional about their eating structure (what and how often they eat), setting a bedtime routine for maximum restful sleep, having the amount of water their bodies need on a daily basis, and a method for making healthy decisions. But here’s the thing – I can give them the information and resources to be successful, but they won’t be successful until they are intentional about applying the things I teach.
The same goes for you and whatever goals you have.
The Bible tells us to be intentional in our thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 (towards the end of the verse), we are told that we should take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And in Philippians 4:8, we are told that whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
The Bible also tells us to be intentional in our actions with such things as tithing, applying God’s Word in our lives, and living the Great Commission. Being intentional is intended for us. It’s part of the design that God placed on our lives.
How well we live our lives for the Lord is also directly proportional to how intentional we are with our time with Him. Do you give God your leftovers, or do you start the day with Him and ask Him for wisdom, direction, and guidance? And then are you intentional about listening for His answers?
Are you intentional with making time for your family and friends? What about your health? What about serving others?
Not being intentional certainly does have its consequences. Using our examples from earlier, your teeth would rot and you would have bad breath, your kids would be tardy, you would get into trouble for not being prompt at work, you would run out of gas on the side of the road, and your plants would die. (Again, I have a feeling that a lot of you have experienced that last one more than you would care to admit.)
Without being intentional, you will live your life in an unfulfilling way – leaving things to chance, missing opportunities, missing out on making some pretty awesome memories, and reaching one hundred percent of the goals you did not set.
From an amazing book, “Win the Day” by Mark Batterson, it says that how you do one thing is how you will do all things. And that is so true. It’s supported by God’s Word in the passage where Jesus preaches that if you are found faithful with a little, you can be trusted with much (paraphrased from Luke 16:10).
So where are you today? How intentional have you been? The good news is that regardless of your answers, you can start today by being intentional! Small, good daily decisions pave the road to great things.
So pray, set goals, and make those daily choices to get you to where you know the Lord wants you to be – INTENTIONALLY!
Heart and Soul Messages 