I think the first time that my husband went to the supermarket with my mom as he exited the store he was panting and out of breath. He had tried to keep up with her as she raced through the supermarket. I will say that the store is big. My grandmother used to go there every day for her daily walk. When my mom shops, she was focused, get a cart, begin in the deli section, check the discounted bakery, grab the canned goods, get a few things from the dairy section and finally fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t take her long. She is intentional about her trip to the supermarket. There is one thing that will cause her to pause in her shopping. While she is focused and intentional if she sees someone she knows, she will often stop and chat. We need to learn to be intentional.

The Importance of Being Intentional

As we begin to Learn to Be instead of Do, we will begin with Be Intentional. I think if we can learn that it will help with other character that we need to develop. Intentional simply means “done on purpose; deliberate.” We need to train ourselves to do things on purpose. We need to learn to be deliberate.

Numerous articles, blog posts, and even books have been written on being intentional. In some ways I wonder what I have to add but in other ways I think it is important that I pause and consider this as part of Learn to Be Instead of Do.

Why is so much written on this? Why is being intentional so important now? I am going to guess that one reason is we understand that we have limited time and we are trying to use the time that we do have. We want to have meaning and fulfillment in our lives. It could be because we want to take control of our lives and what happens and so we are intentional. I am not saying that these are wrong but just trying to understand why it is so important.

For me personally, I feel that I need to learn to be intentional so that I am doing what needs to be done and being active. What about you? Why do you need to learn to be intentional?

Learn to Be Intentional

We need to learn to be intentional. This requires learning and discipline. It is going to take time. Three areas that we are going to focus on as we discuss learning to be intentional. I think these cover quite a bit of life. The three areas that we will consider are the following:

• Love
• Actions
• Words

You might personally have some other areas that you need to be intentional, that is fine to focus on that. Personally, I need to be a bit more intentional when I am on the internet.

Foundation for Intentional Living

The foundation for intentional living must be God and his actions. How do we see God intentional? Our desire for intentional living should be because that is the way God is and what he is calling us to do.

If the basis for intentional living is not God, then we are going to be struggling. We will be doing it in our own strength. The goal is Learn to Be Instead of Do is building the inner character from which our actions flow.

Intentional Living Requires

Being focused. Remember my mom in the supermarket, she is focused. She understands what she is there for and that is what she is going to do. While we are focused we are also aware of needs around us and realize that at times we might need to pause for that.

We need to be disciplined. That means we need to learn to say no to some things and yes to other things. We might need to say not now.

Intentional living requires knowledge. The knowledge that we need is about ourselves, our life, those around us. We need to know the priorities and what God is calling us to do.

A Challenge to Be Intentional

Here is a challenge as we begin learning to be instead of do and focusing on being intentional.

Think of one area that you need to grow in being intentional. How would be intentional look in that area? Pray and begin to take steps in that direction.

I am focusing on my eating. I want to reduce carbs. Leave me a comment about what area you are going to focus on?