Intentional
“Nothing more is required of us than that which we can do in union with God.”
- Cherie Snyder
When we surveyed local leaders, one of the things they mentioned struggling with was maintaining a healthy life/work balance. The demands of their work not only kept them at the office more than they liked, it tended to follow them home as well.
As a result we spend a lot of time studying Jesus’ way of doing things with the leaders with whom we work. Despite the incredible mission he came to accomplish and contrary to our Western culture sensibility; he lived a slow, steady, and unhurried life.
There is as much written about him getting away to rest, recharge, and reconnect with Father as there is written about him accomplishing things. Even when he was doing stuff, he worked pretty hard to not call attention to himself, as in “don’t tell anybody about this” after he had done something miraculous or “come away from the city with me” when it was about to happen.
He was incredibly intentional about everything.
If you read or listen to much leadership or motivational content, you are likely a high achiever and are probably pretty intentional…about getting stuff done. And not only the work stuff, the ministry stuff as well. And who could argue against that. “I’ve got more work to do” or “I need to tend to some ministry stuff” is sort of the nuclear option for most intentional folks. “I got stuff to do and it is pretty important.”
The problem is that Jesus wasn’t just intentional about getting things done.
He was intentional about rest.
He was intentional about relationships.
He was intentional about time with the Father.
He was intentional about getting away.
One of the leaders we have been challenging about slowing down, getting soul care, not living a life of regret, and being intentional about the things that really matter took things to whole other level this Summer. After reflecting on the lost Summer of 2017, he vowed to do something about it in 2018.
Here is what he did:
Weekend 1 - ZDT’s amusement park in Seguin
Weekend 2 - Port Aransas Beach
Weekend 3 - Nacogdoches Blueberry festival (won pie eating contest, daughter got 3rd in kid’s division)
Weekend 4 - Stonewall Peach Jamboree - son mutton busted
Weekend 5 - Luling Watermelon Thump - Participated in the watermelon eating and seed spitting contests
Weekend 6 - family reunion in Brenham & then Port Aransas with friends
Weekend 7 - hiked nature trails in Boerne and then swam in the lake
Weekend 8 - rented RV, drove entire route 66 portion of Texas, became part of the world’s largest human shamrock & got in the Guinness Book of World Records
Weekend 10 - climbed Guadalupe mountain with kids (highest point in Texas) & went to Carlsbad Caverns
Weekend 11 - took family to Disney World
Weekend 12 - family birthday at a ranch
Weekend 13 - took kids back to ZDT’s amusement park
Weekend 14 - another family birthday at ranch & then Canoeing on the Colorado river
Weekend 15 - Port Aransas family trip w/friends
Weekend 16 - drove kids to Dallas to have a meal at his favorite restaurant that was closing after 106 years
I asked him if he was exhausted or “full” from the experience and he said “both”. Satisfied and exhausted like sitting in an Adirondack chair on the deck you wore yourself out creating. Tired like you are after a good workout or after knocking out some projects in the yard. Tired, but a good tired.
He intentionally focused his kid’s summer weekends on creating meaningful experiences. On valuing them and their time. On working hard at creating memories that they will carry for life. That kind of intentional inspires and disrupts all the things I intentionally pursue that keep from the life Jesus intended.
Consider
Are you an intentional person?
Are you intentional about the right things?
Are some of those “right things” crowding out some other important ones?
What needs to change to rebalance your intentionality?