Intentional Living

Yesterday I explained how my diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis forced me to make choices for my health.  This year, instead of making a list of resolutions, I felt led to pick a theme: BE INTENTIONAL.

How can I make “Intentional Living” (a new category on my blog) realistic in my everyday life?  The challenge was to make it practical and simple.  I prayed that the Lord would show me specific ways to live my life with purpose.  I began to jot down my thoughts, which I believe is one way God speaks to me, and slowly my “Be Intentional in 2011″ list formed.

First, I created categories for the important areas of my life. Then, I established an intention (or action) to help me fulfill each role. Here’s my list:

Personal
Daily Bible reading
Work out 3 times a week
Daily siesta~one hour of unproductive “me” time

Marriage
Attend Fireproof Your Marriage class
Daily “porch time”:  A time to sit and connect with each other after the kids go to bed
Weekly Date Night In:  Activity together after the kids go to bed
Monthly Date Night Out

Children
Be faithful with chore chart
Free Family Night every other week
Daily reading time

Homemaker
Try two new recipes per month
Learn one new skill per month
Maintain a clean and peaceful environment when hubby gets home

Ministry
Volunteer at Food Bank every other week
Create Thoughtful Thursday

Blog
Establish office hours for blog and use a timer to enforce
Establish blog plan/purpose
Write 3 posts per week

Financial
Finish reading Total Money Makeover with hubby
Continue debt snowball

The end result should be a concise list of the things that matter in your life.  Use it as a guide when you make decisions.  Will the item in question help you achieve the goals from your list?  It may be a “good” thing like a Bible study, play group activity, home renovation, or volunteer opportunity.  But sometimes you have to say “no” to one thing in order to say “yes” to what is important.  Pray about your decisions and He is faithful to lead you in the right direction.

This week, after my list was formed, I came across Passionate Homemaking’s Developing a Personal Mission Statement.   I was shocked to realize that is exactly what I had done.