What does living intentionally look like to you? To me, it looks like doing what God places in front of me with enthusiasm and willingness, not scraping by with bare minimums but adding creative flourishes, filled with confident hope for what lies ahead! Isn’t that a beautiful picture?
And yet, even with that idea and perspective, I still falter. Time crunches leave me feeling rushed and like I can barely accomplish what needs to be done, much less add special touches to them. How can I escape the rush of life to live at a more peaceful pace? Let’s look into this together and discover workable ways to live more intentionally.
Do Your Duty
Our duty is whatever God places in front of us. In all areas of our lives, our duties are reflected in what lies directly in front of us – at our home, in school, in church, etc. Don’t mistake duty with something as singular as your job. It goes so much deeper than that!
Our duty is reflected in our attitude towards the minuscule things in life. The seemingly inconsequential or unimportant. Everything matters. Sometimes I’d even argue that the seemingly smaller the item in consideration, the more important, especially when it is in the scope of your own home.
Don’t let yourself be lax or lazy in the things you think others don’t know about or see. As much as I think it is important to realize that people really don’t give us as much attention as we may think, I also think that the tiny things we think others won’t notice are often what they see. And these things, no matter how minuscule, can alter their opinion about Christianity. We are representatives of Christ and it is vital that we represent Him well in all things at all times.
I’ve heard some Christians argue that it only matters what you do in public, not in the privacy of your own home, and I think this is plain wrong. Ideally you practice within the privacy of your home so that when you are out in your community you are well prepared to do your duty well. Having to put on a performance around others doesn’t honor God.
Seek to bring your best to your duty, no matter how small. See everything as an opportunity to represent God well. This simple mindset shift makes an extraordinary difference!
Adding Creative Flourishes
Don’t just do what you have to do to scrape by, but rather search out ways to add a creative flourish! I love how this element praises God on new and wonderful levels. He is a God of abundance and more than enough. All His creation shows the incredible complexity of His design. When we get in alignment with Him, we can find delight in adding creative flourishes to our work.
There’s nothing that delights me more than seeing another woman do something in a beautiful way. And it’s the simplest things that thrill me. When wrapping a present she adds bows, when addressing an envelope she adds flowers and flourishes, when sending a text she adds thoughtful conversation, etc. Perhaps it’s because this area doesn’t come second nature to me that I notice it so specifically and find myself wanting to creatively replicate the beauty and thoughtfulness that others show.
And that’s how I see God’s provision, He always adds a cherry on top. And the closer I look at situations the more remarkable details I discover where He over-delivers. I want to learn from that and reflect Him in that way too! Not in a pinterest-perfect or lofty way, but in a way that says that I care about the work I have to do and I want to do it beautifully as a representation of the God I serve!
And perhaps that what it all comes down to, I want to represent God remarkably well. I want to help people better understand just what an awe-inspiring God He is. I want to know Him deeper and better, to understand His love and provision on new levels. There is no better pursuit in life! And the fascinating thing is, the more in alignment you get with God, the further He takes you on your journey!
Confident Hope
All of this is nothing without a confident hope of what’s ahead. When we make the shift to living intentionally, incredible opportunities present themselves! Doors that we couldn’t force open on our own stand open before us, waiting for us to muster the courage to step through. Opportunities that we may have dreamed of before close in our face, protecting us from what isn’t meant to be.
Confident hope looks ahead expectantly, knowing that God is perfectly in control. Eager for where He is leading, while giving our best in the here and now. Not rushing through the day to day, but rather choosing to romanticize each season, creating memories to look back on someday.
Living intentionally challenges us to step into the life God has designed for each of us specifically, measuring our progress by how far we’ve come, not where others stand. Eagerly looking ahead, confident that God has amazing plans for each of us.
Together, let’s commit to living intentionally, giving God our expectations and getting ready to see where He will lead!
Until Next Time!
Hope.