I’m not the most intentional person. In fact, living intentionally is one of the greatest struggles in my life. I often catch myself just riding the wave and going with the flow. And while that may seem like it’s a pleasant and relaxing life, it’s often followed by a feeling of emptiness.
Ken Coleman once said, “The longer I’m comfortable, the closer I am to being miserable.”
This quote resonated with me because for me and many others, living intentionally is a huge step outside of my comfort zone. It could mean facing conflict that I would rather ignore, going out with a co-worker when all I want to do is go home, or giving up lounging around for something more productive. Living intentionally is stepping out of our comfort zones.
But if you think about it, the greatest moments in the lives of biblical heroes were when they lived with intentionality. David was constantly after God’s heart, which was evident in the songs he wrote. The Apostle Paul talked about always disciplining his body and keeping it under control. Then we have the ultimate example in Jesus, who was always found in the garden early in the morning, talking with the Father.
So without a doubt, we as followers of Christ are called to live with intentionality. We must first understand that we are called to intentional living not because God wants to keep us stressed or anxious but because doing so will ultimately benefit us.
Intentional living is a way of life that emphasizes living with purpose and being conscious of the choices we make in our daily lives. It means being deliberate about the things we do, the relationships we cultivate, and the goals we set for ourselves.
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to fall into the trap of going through the motions of life without truly living intentionally. Many of us live on autopilot, mindlessly going through our daily routines without taking the time to reflect on our choices or consider how they impact our overall well-being.
Why live intentionally?
1. To remove the unnecessary things in our lives.
The law of entropy states that things tend to become more disorganized over time and that we need to put in energy to keep them organized. And so it goes with our lives. If left ignored, our lives become cluttered with unnecessary things, values, or habits.
In our house, I have so many things that I could sell or donate because I spend plenty of my time accumulating things that end up contributing to clutter. So every now and then, I have to organize stuff and see what I need to purge to move toward a clutter-free space for me and my family.
When we live intentionally, we realize that our lives are filled with so many unnecessary things that don’t add value to our lives. It may be that your schedule is too busy, or you’re spending on things you don’t actually need (or even want when you think about it), or spending too much time on things which don’t end up contributing to your quality of life.
When we are intentional about how we want to live our lives, we learn to be aware of things that don’t actually benefit our lives and begin the process of purging them so that we can actually begin to truly live fulfilling lives.
2. To enrich our lives and relationships
When we begin to subtract all the unnecessary things from our daily lives, we are left with the practices, habits, possessions, etc that enrich us. We will be so aware of ourselves that we will be able to live in accordance with our values and goals.
It’s important to note that we declutter our lives not to have empty schedules or spend more time idling by. As I’ve mentioned, that will lead to feelings of emptiness and uselessness.
We will remove things that have wasted our time before in order to replace them with things that actually edify us. For example, if you were convicted enough to actively resist mindlessly scrolling through social media, you would replace those 40 minutes of your day scrolling with reading a book on how to grow as a person. You might be convinced with cutting the overall amount of hours you spend at work and spending those hours with friends and family.
3. To live out God’s purpose in our lives
The ultimate reason we should live purposefully is to maximize the way we live out our faith daily. Our purpose, in a general sense, is to know Christ and make Him known.
If we live our lives with purposeful intensity, we’ll be able to live out our purpose with better effectiveness and efficiency. Every move will be calculated as to how our actions and words propel the Kingdom in our lives and in the lives of others. Every waking moment is spent in awareness as to how Jesus would want us to live our lives. This is what it looks like to be in step with the Holy Spirit!
If we clear out our minds, hearts, and lives of unnecessary noise and clutter, we get a clearer sense of how it is the Spirit wants to move through us. Intentional living helps keep us from meandering and puts our purpose at the forefront of our minds.
Steps to Live Intentionally
1. List out your values.
What do you believe and why do you believe them? What are the things that you want to live by? What are the guard rails that determine how you live each day? Writing down these things will help you know what your true values are and your values determine how you shape your life.
2. List out your goals
What are the things you want to accomplish on a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly basis? Just like values, knowing your goals will give you a clearer direction on how to conduct your life in order to accomplish your goals.
After listing your goals, jot down action steps to help you reach your target. One of my goals is to pay off one of our credit cards by the end of this year. That means my wife and I have to sit down on a regular basis and look at our income, and budget. It also means that we only spend our money on essential things, or at least things/experiences that add value to our lives. We do this so we can have as much money to put toward our debt and accomplish my goal of paying off a card by December 31st.
Set your goals, set your action plans, and live your life according to these.
3. Create a Schedule/Set Alarms
I find that having alarms set to the specific times you need to be reminded of a certain task or a certain shift in focus can give you that added awareness of how to live your life. I find that I’m too easily swayed by the comfort of the moment and tend to forget the necessary things I need to get done or steps to take to accomplish my goals or live by my values. Having an alarm has been really helpful in reminding me to live intentionally.
4. Journal
Having a regular time to write down your thoughts is helpful in knowing your desires, fears, strengths, and weaknesses, and can even reveal some blindspots in the way you live your life. Jotting down your thoughts and feelings regularly can help you further solidify your knowledge of self, can assist you in processing what you’re going through, and if your lifestyle still aligns with your values and goals.
In conclusion, intentional living is a way of life that prioritizes purposeful, deliberate choices that align with our values and goals. By living intentionally, we can find greater fulfillment, purpose, and satisfaction in our lives. It’s about taking the time to reflect on what matters most to us, being mindful of our choices, and taking deliberate action toward our goals and aspirations, as well as living the purpose that God has planned for our lives.
