Reading · Tuesday Mornings

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stained glass windows · volume twenty-two · 4 reflections on intentionality

!! just a psa: this post is too long to read the full thing in your inbox. pretty please click the title of this article to be able to read it in the Substack app or website. happy reading!

the Lord has been so intentional with us!!!!!!!

as I write this blog post, all cozy in my bed (which I literally never do), I’m realizing - not for the first time & certainly not for the last time - that the Lord has been so intentional with me. He has been so good, faithful, kind, & intentional to grow me into this woman of God who is in her matching pj set & writing this very post.

a year ago, I was on a spring break trip with some of my now closest friends but in that moment near strangers. a year ago, the Lord reignited a passion within my faith walk for learning how to deeply pray & devote my all to Him because He is the only one worthy. a year ago, I was reading in the book of Mark & today I am in 1st Chronicles. today, I am blessed with a tight-knit circle of holy community, holy family. today, I am still asking the Lord to take me deeper in prayer, but today, I am also aware that He has. today, I am asking myself: “since the Lord has been so intentional with me, what can He teach me about holy intentionality?” every day of my life is intentioned by His divine hand & I am in awe.

the God of all intentionality, who has been intentional with me, has brought me under His wing!!!! I wanted to become a more intentional daughter of the Kingdom & He has taught me that it comes at the price of my convenience & comfort. however, that intentionality should be a priority of my heart even still because it is a priority of His & because it is how to make Him, others, & yourself feel seen & less burdened by your Christianity.

to be intentional, is to be like Jesus who loved intentionally.

this year already, the Lord has been teaching me some things about how to be intentional without it being overwhelming that He put on my heart to share with you too! so, if you’re wanting to become a more intentional child of the Kingdom, this post is for you.

dear ever so intentional Heavenly Father, you are majesty & the Rock on which we rest. I am so thankful that you delight in tabernacling within Your children & yearn to share with us more of You. in this world of busy & self-centered thinking, we have not centered our hearts/eyes/mind on You & the way in which you call us to live - drenched in Your love & freedom. yay that You are so intentional with us! so gentle! so good! Jesus, I thank You for what You did on the cross, that You endured the Father’s wrath & gave up Your life, so that we may be set free & also have an intimate relationship with the Lord. teach us to become more intentional in every aspect of our life! may we surrender our will for Yours. I pray that this post touched & inspires the heart of the reader for intentional change. amen!

intentional: (in·ten·tion·al) done on purpose; deliberate.

the little choices we make in our day to day, small acts of obedience, please the Holy Spirit who lives in fullness inside of us & longs for us to flow with Him in all aspects of our lives. small changes that we make for His glory in our routines result in ripe fruit & blessings! & oh my goodness how He deserves our attention & our intentionality to set our gaze upon doing everything for Him! He longs for us to choose Him & to consider His feelings when we make decisions. invite Him in! pray unceasingly!

it is not convenient to sacrifice your time & thoughts for the Lord, but it is necessary & life-changingly worth it.

“whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord & not for men.” - Colossians 3:23

waking up earlier to spend a few extra moments with God
memorizing Scripture
choosing to listen to worship music in the car
reading a Psalm before you leave the house
inviting Him into your life by setting reminders to pray more often
trying to read a passage without a commentary

does the Holy Spirit feel at home to dwell in you? is He please by what He sees you do?

take care of yourself!!!! the Lord did not place you on this Earth to beat yourself up with your mistakes, your stress, your to-do lists. we were made to rest & to depend on Him.

every inch of your day can be covered in the freedom of Jesus if you just remind yourself of the work of the cross, the rest you are called to, & the fact that you are not a machine with no purpose, but a human being who loves God. to the world, it is not cool to take care of yourself in holy ways, but to God, He is so proud of you!

“look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” - Ephesians 5:15&16

declutter!!! make your literal house feel like a safe space for the Holy Spirit to dwell: clean, candles, worship music, prayer-filled
getting over eight hours of sleep a night & listening to the Bible app as you drift off on a sleep timer
in the shower, as you watch the water go down the drain & wash off, remembering that Jesus washes your sin completely off & His new mercies/grace dry you off
Christian yoga videos on Youtube as a part of your quiet time
write Bible verses with dry erase markers on your mirror (bonus if it is Scripture you are actively memorizing)
anytime you look in the mirror say: God made me! I am fearfully & wonderfully made
literally just choose daily not to stress & instead pray without ceasing

we were made for community! however, in order to have a village, you must too be a villager. it pleases God when we consider the needs of our friends & selflessly serve them as Jesus would. just as you long for reminders that you are seen among others, your friends are also waiting for someone to reach out to them & remind them that they are loved by you in ways that show you care/remember/are thinking of them. love on your friends well!!!! even if it is out of your comfort zone to be the one reaching out, you must be bold with love.

I really recommend this article (linked below this paragraph) by Meg Foster on how to love your friends well! she gives the reader a step by step of how to make a “friend census” to better be in tune to the needs of your loved ones. being a good friend is becomes the opposite of overwhelming when you really put thought into how you can be the best kind of friend & what kind of friend you would want to have!

when it comes to family members, I have to admit that having holy conversations with my family members does not come first nature to me. this is something that I have started to pray about! I am learning that it is not weird to pray over your family members, share your faith/testify to them & ask them questions about their faith even though the enemy makes me shrink away from such a thing. may the Lord grant me more, clear opportunities to do so!

staying comfortable in talking about your faith does not bring your family or friends or lost loved ones to Heaven with you/does not bring you deeper with the Lord together!

“let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:4

friend census! I think this is such a sweet idea
create loved one office hours in your schedule a least twice a week - try to split your time with (a) a mentor, (b) a pal you want to get closer with beneath surface level, & (c) a close friend/accountability partner who you love running the holy race with endurance with
voice memo/random phone calls/reach out via phone as soon as you think about someone
volunteer together!
pray over your loved ones with hands on them as a FIRST RESPONSE!!!! let’s be the ones in our communities to normalize this

you may be the only Bible that some people read & you may encounter angels unawares!!! if being social makes you uncomfortable, I want to encourage you to get uncomfortable for the sake of spreading the light of Jesus to others anywhere you go. anywhere is a mission field! someone shared the good news with you & now you believe - it is a cycle we are called to obey! be bold. who cares if you get a “no I don’t want to be prayed for.” because you can just shake the dust off your feet & pray for them in your head anyways. you are a seed planter! trust the Lord’s ability to use you intentionally in the lives of strangers!

“do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” - Hebrews 13:2

compliment as often as possible when you’re out & about
make more than small talk with people working like cashiers because not everything has to be awkward staring when you’re checking out
holy conversations in public with your friends has a big impact on a space btw
ask the Lord to highlight to you a stranger that you see to pray for (in your head or irl - don’t be shy)
resting faces are so out & smiles are so in

let me know how you are intentional within your walk with the Lord!!! I would just love to know your favorite ways & add to my lists :)

so, I heard you want to become a more intentional child of the Kingdom

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