Do you know what it means to live intentionally? If so, are you doing it? I would love to share some information and inspiration for living an intentional life. Let me start off with a story.
Once upon a time, there was a tired mother of four young children. As she went from one task to another, she tried to love and take care of her children as best as she could, and she also tried to fit in things she loved here and there. However, she wasn’t very consistent with chores or discipline, and the messes would pile up and tempers would flare. She lived each day as it came with minimal planning or thought. Although she had vague ideas of purpose and goals, not much was consistent or concrete. She was often in a tired and overwhelmed state as she went throughout her days. Can you relate?
What is Meant by Intentional Living?
In case you haven’t guessed it, that mom was me. While I’m definitely still far from perfect, I have learned and grown throughout the years. I’m still growing, as a matter of fact, right along with you, and I’m striving to live more intentionally in many areas.
So, what does it mean to live intentionally? Intentional living is being meaningful in your everyday choices. It is knowing exactly what your values and beliefs are and aligning your actions accordingly. You know exactly why you do the things you choose to do, and why you choose not to do certain things. You are very purposeful in what you allow into your life.
How to Live With Intention
You may be thinking that knowing the meaning of living intentionally is all fine and good, but you want to know how to live intentionally. Let’s check out some ways that we can go about learning to live a meaningful life with intention.
1. Know your purpose
First of all, you need to figure out your overall purpose in life if you haven’t already. What do you want your life to communicate? There needs to be a driving force behind how you live. For me, my purpose is to love God with all my heart and to love those around me. What is yours?
If you need some godly guidance in finding your purpose, look no further! The Finding My Purpose Bible Study Journal is just what you need. It comes in printable and digital formats.
2. Know yourself
You also need to really get to know yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses, talents and abilities? Do you know your basic personality traits? Is there a cause or people group you are passionate about? What are some major life lessons you have learned? Write these down. Knowing these can help you as you move ahead.
3. Set goals
Now it’s time to set some goals in your work toward living intentionally. Look at different areas of your life and set goals in each of them. Remember, the goals you make should reflect who you are and what your overall purpose in life is. You will need to let go of things in your life that don’t align with your purpose or distract you from it, and focus on things that add meaning to your life.
Want to learn more about living a simple life? Maybe you want to live more intentionally or find easier ways to do things. Be sure to learn how you can get started today!
Live intentionally with your time
Time is a big one. It’s so important to be intentional with your time. As you probably well know, it’s easy to spend more time than you meant to on (ah-hem) Facebook or watching a favorite show on Netflix. Sometimes we piddle around from one task to another without having much of a plan. Start paying attention to how you go about each day. What things do you notice are big time wasters for you? How could you spend that time more intentionally? We all have the same amount of time per day, but not all use it intentionally.
Related: How to Simplify Your Schedule
Live intentionally in your relationships
Are you living intentionally in your relationships? Do you make sure to spend time with your spouse, children, relatives, and close friends . . . the kind of friends who build you up? Spending time with those we love shows them that they are important to us. Even if you don’t go anywhere, there are many ideas for date nights at home and ways to spend one on one time with your children. Instead of wasting time, invest that time in the important relationships in your life.
Live intentionally with your resources
There’s a quote I’ve heard here and there, and I think it’s perfect for this section.
“Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.”
– James W. Frick
Are you spending your money and resources on the things that line up with your purpose and goals, or are you just spending it on yourself or unnecessary things? The materialism of our society is so very easy to get caught up in. We want to have nice things, beautiful houses, and clothes. We want our children to have what all their friends have, but often these things really don’t match our values. Don’t impulse buy, but ask yourself if this purchase will match your values. Look for ways you can give versus consume. Be intentional with how and where you spend your money.
Live intentionally with your whole being
Living intentionally includes your whole being . . . your health, your attitude, and your mind. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to give your all to those you love. Make sure you set goals of eating well and exercising and keep your mind sharp by making a goal to learn something new. Work on your attitude and perspective by practicing gratitude, which will increase your positivity. These things can go a long way in improving your overall health.
4. Stop comparing
As women, it seems like we’re so prone to comparing ourselves with those around us. We look at what others wear, how their kids behave, what their house looks like, and what activities they’re doing. We think if all our friends have their kids involved in a sport, then we need to have our kids in a sport. As we get caught up in how everyone else is doing things, we lose sight of our own values and morals. Sometimes we wonder how we got there and what we should do now to get back on track.
If you want to live intentionally, you will need to stop comparing what you’re doing to what those around you are doing. Look back at your purpose and values. Know what’s important to you, and set your sights on those things as you craft your intentional life. You want your life to be full of things that bring meaning and joy. You don’t want to look back on your life with regret.
5. Evaluate and re-evaluate
Unfortunately, this is not a one-and-done process. Life changes, our children grow, and we may become passionate about something different. The distractions tend to trickle in. We are also constantly learning new things, and it’s even good to be open to finding something that may be better or work better than what are currently doing. We also can learn helpful things from those around us that we may want to incorporate into our own lives.
Periodically, you will need to sit back down and review your purpose and goals. Make sure the commitments in your life are still reflecting those. Learn to live more simply in life so you have more time to focus on your purpose and passions. It’s easy to get off track if we’re not careful.
How Can I Live More Intentionally for God?
As followers of Jesus, it’s of most importance to make sure our purpose, passions, and goals are in line with the Bible. Our relationship with God needs to be a priority in our lives so that we can live more intentionally for Him.
Scriptures on living an intentional life
There are many Bible verses that talk about living intentionally for God. If we truly want to live a meaningful and intentional life, then shouldn’t we prioritize what the God who created us says about how we should live life?
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 ESV
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
There are also many Scriptures that talk about things we should focus on. I’ll just list a few, but definitely do some reading on your own.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
Also, all of Romans 12 and Colossians 3 are great chapters that talk about how we should live as followers of Christ. Definitely take the time to read them.
As moms, unless we prioritize our relationship with God, it can easily fall by the wayside. Learn more about growing closer to God. As we grow closer to Him, we become a better wife and mother as well.
Live like Jesus
If you really think about how Jesus lived when He was on earth, He was very intentional with life on earth. By imitating Jesus, we can live more intentionally for God. What are some of the things Jesus focused on? First of all, He spent hours with His Father in prayer and solitude. He made that relationship a priority. Jesus also constantly gave of His time to others by teaching them, helping them, saving them, and healing them. He had a mission to accomplish while on earth and nothing could distract Him from it. Ugh . . . how easily we get distracted! Jesus really poured His life into people and definitely not stuff. He loved unconditionally and was always ready to forgive. How can we live more like that?
Grow in spiritual disciplines
Growing in spiritual disciplines is a great way to get started in living more intentionally for God. I won’t go into depth in this post, but basically spiritual disciplines are things like Bible reading, prayer, thankfulness, serving others, and meeting together with other Christians. It is through these spiritual disciplines that our faith and relationship with God can truly grow. We must be intentional about incorporating these into our lives.
Why is it Important to Live Intentionally?
Now is the time to reflect. After reading what we’ve covered, would you say you are living an intentional life? We’ve covered the importance of living intentionally and how you can get started. Are you being intentional with your time, relationships, and money? I love this quote that I read in a devotional recently:
“Imagine if you knew exactly when your time was going to be over; envision how you’d act. Do you think knowing would help you starve your distractions and invest in what’s important?”
Danny Saavedra
If it truly matters to you, you will make some changes. Let the distractions and time-wasters go. Craft a meaningful life for yourself, and be intentional with your choices. What change do you want to start with? Be sure to get your FREE intentional living worksheet above. Please comment and encourage one another below. I’ll leave you with this verse:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
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