Intentional living can be hard… let’s face it! The demands of life are pulling us in all sorts of directions. Family, work, church, and friendships all play a part in the decisions we make. But it doesn’t have control us. Living the intentional life is not only more fruitful, but allows you to do the things that are most important to you as well.

If you are anything like me, then you have so many choices to fill up your time. But the fact still remains… we are all given 24 hours each and every day to live life to the fullest. The question is, “What are you going to do with them?”

Here are a few ideas that can really help…

• Assess your current life

What are you currently doing that isn’t allowing you to live the life God intended for you? I like to think of my time as a box that can only hold so much stuff. As we move into the different stages of life we have a choice to keep filling the box with more stuff to the point the box eventually busts at the seams, or we can prune away the less essential things and fill our box with the things that matter.

This step is where you get to decide what items stay in your box and which ones are the least important.

• Decide where you want to go

Now that you have decided what is important to you, here comes the fun part…Where do you want to go? We have lots of choices here, but the most important part of this equation for me is really, “Where does God want me to go?” I often share with people that if you are sitting on the sidelines watching life go by, then by implication you are saying to the world… “This is my calling.” You have unique gifts and talents that no one else has. The first step for deciding where you want to go is to pray and ask the Lord for clear direction. Then start moving…

Spend time looking over your life and decide today where you want to go with it. Life is precious and we only get one shot at it. Are you living it to the fullest?

• Eliminate the less-essentials

What do you need to prune from your life to move forward? I can create a pretty good list for my less-essentials. Now, I didn’t say “non-essentials” for a reason. Often our time is filled with really good things, but they may not be the essential thing that will allow us to live the intentional life God created us for. For some it may be extended time in front of the television or computer screen. Others the less-essentials may be removing something you enjoy doing simply because it takes too much time away from where you really want to go.

One example of this for me is photography. I am an avid hobby photographer. Recently I had to make the hard decision that my time being spent surrounded around my photography hobby was not productive and took away from my essentials. Tough decision, but best for me when it comes to where God would have me.

• Execute your plan

Take action. Take the necessary steps to eliminate those things that are taking you away from what God has for you and start walking daily in the things that matter.

Living an intentional life is not creating a list of do’s and then setting out to accomplish them. This will lead you to eventually burn out. It is about deciding what you value most in life and setting yourself in motion to fulfill those things.

Can intentional living be hard? Yes…
Can intentional living bring challenges? Absolutely…

But most of all it is incredibly rewarding. When you finally gain control of your schedule and life rather than having it control you, it frees you up to be the person God created you to be.

I encourage you today to seek God for direction. Ask him today to help you live daily for him with the intention and desire He gave you. Not sitting on the sidelines watching life go by, but getting in the game and allowing those around you to see all the wonderful things God designed uniquely inside of you!

Be Blessed,
Keith