Tuesday, September 25, 2012

How Intentional Have You Been Lately?

How intentional have you been lately?

I’ve been hit-or-miss.

Mostly miss.

Which is a shame, since INTENTIONAL is my word for the year.

As we discussed last week, there are a lot of areas in my life where I feel like I’m wandering. Housework, motherhood, writing, etc. And as we discussed, not all wandering is bad. Sometimes, wandering is the direct will of God.

But some of my wandering is not as out-of-my-hands as I pretend that it is.

Sometimes I’m just lazy or distracted.

I want to read a book, watch TV, or chat with a friend. All nice things. Just not always the best choice.

Of course, this is where the slope gets slippery.

At least it does for me.

I can easily be so attached to my schedule that I blow a gasket whenever the day goes off in an unexpected direction.

But, at the same time, having no plan at all often results in days, weeks, or months where I go through the motions of life but make little or no progress toward achieving the dreams I believe God has placed in my heart.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve felt this tension in my spirit—as if I’m inching along the edge of a deep chasm. I’m trying to figure out how to balance my need for order and structure with my desire to live each day—each moment—submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I’m planning and scheduling and even (gasp!) outlining (for my writing). I’m writing Bible verses on my calendar and posting reminders to myself to lean into the Spirit rather than on my own understanding of how each day should go. I’m making some progress.

But I know I have a long way to go.

So I want to ask you—how do you do it? If you’re a planner, what tips can you share for not making your schedule into an idol? If you fly by the seat of your pants, how do you ensure that the most important things get done? I’d love to learn from you! Please share with all of us in the comments!

Proverbs 16:9 ~ The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (ESV)

4 comments:

Melanie Blackburn said...

Oh Lynn...you are talking to a career planner and it has gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion. I know God has a sense.of humor because I married into a family full of spontaneous people and have four children who don't even know what the word schedule means. Just yesterday God laid something on my heart to do for someone else that was going to totally ruin my plan for the day. I often recite Jeremiah 29:11 during these moments and just like He always does God blessed me for being obedient. I wish I could say that my attitude is always this way!

Debra Koontz Traverso said...

I had a long answer written and it disappeared. Here's the Cliff Notes version: I write everything down. Everything. At least if it's written, and I find that I can't do it today, I can add it to tomorrow's list. I can't forget because it's written down. I think your biggest obstacle...which is actually your biggest blessing...is your children. The best laid plans of mice and men go out the window when children are in your life. I'll look forward to what others have to say too.

Vonda Skelton said...

No suggestions, just want to see what the others say. I'm the most UNorganized person ever!

amy said...

I'm with Vonda; I'll check back for the tips. Not much to contribute aside from, "Hi, I'm Amy and I'm intentional about procrastinating." Hi Amy. As soon as I hit publish that dang time stamp will provide further evidence!