If there is a one-word wisdom that I would like to pass on to my kids, it would be this word "Intentional". There is no such thing as accidental success. All successful people set their mind on a goal and daily work towards that goal. They paid a price. John Maxwell always said, "Everything worthwhile is uphill."
In my last blog, I talked about minimizing distractions to life's purpose. But that's only step one towards the abundant life that God has for us. We have to find our purpose and daily intentionally work towards that purpose. One of my favorite Bible characters is Daniel. He served King Nebuchadnezzar and King Cyrus. We all knew that he survived the lion's den and had unwavering faith in God. He was only a youth, probably only 11-13 years old when he was taken into captivity in Babylon. He was a handsome kid with exceptional intelligence. When he was chosen to the palace to be educated for 3 years and then to serve the king, he knew that God had a purpose for him there and that he must keep himself pure if he were going to be an instrument for the Lord. Joseph had the same resolve to keep himself pure. Both were used mightily by the Lord and there is no known sin recorded in the Bible for both Joseph and Daniel. Amazing men of faith! I give credit to Daniel's parents because Daniel was an extraordinary youth. At 11 years old, the Bible said that "Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank." (Dan1:8) I could only imagine that the king probably had the best food prepared by the best chefs, and for those who drink wine, the best, most expensive wine offered every meal. But yet because in the days of OT, God has given his people strict guidelines as to what not to eat, Daniel had made up his mind to not defile himself. He and his friends only asked for vegetables and water.
Be Intentional about Purity
I love the fact that Daniel resolved that he would not be defiled. In another words, he was intentional. He made up his mind before he stepped into the royal dining room that he was going to be different from the people around him because he knew he was God's child. Not being defiled or keeping himself pure was a high priority. I don't know how he arrived at that mindset at 11 years old, but his parents must have taught him to love and obey God at a young age. If I have trouble saying no to good food at my age, I imagine it must be so much harder for a growing boy to say no to food/wine and seeing everyone else around him enjoying it. Purity to Daniel was worth the suffering. Why? He knew God uses clean instruments more effectively than dirty ones. Pastor Tim asked that if you wake up and needing a drink of water, would you go to the sink and get a dirty cup with some orange pulp or lipstick mark on the rim without first cleaning it? NO. Of course not. yuck. We either wash it really well or we get a clean cup from the cupboard. Purity is essential for fulfilling our God given purposes.
When I first moved here to Taiwan, I had a lot more time than I am used to. I often found myself having a couple of hours free after dinner. I got into the habit of watching a Netflix movie each night. This isn't something I did in the U.S. because I didn't have time. At first, I watched because I missed Christmas and cold weather. So, I watched a lot of Christmas movies with snow or movies that took place in beautiful places, mostly Hallmark movies. Then I watched some old classic such as "Pride and Prejudice" and other movies in that era because I like the way they talk. However, no matter how carefully I selected the movies, there are subtle or some not so subtle worldly messages that defile my mind. I am very sensitive to these things. One day, the Holy Spirit convicted me, and I stopped watching daily. Just because the rest of the world watch this stuff doesn't mean I have to. I grew more intentional about my purity of mind. I rather be bored. In fact, I wrote a blog on boredom.
Benefits of periodic boredom | Success God's Way (mysuccessgodsway.com)
Or I would listen to godly sermons or audio books on YouTube instead. Those are better food for my mind than Netflix. I often learn something from listening to them. This is a personal conviction, which means it's just my preference. Movies are not all bad. Actually, I rather enjoy a good, animated (G-rated) movie once in a while, but definitely not daily just because it can be a time-stealer from more important things in life.
Be Intentional about Self-care or Self-development
We cannot give what we don't have. If we are commanded to love others as ourselves then we must learn to meet our own needs and develop ourselves first. I used to give and give and give, and then expect others to give back to me. Hmmmm.... that didn't work very well. A cell phone is no use if you forget to charge it. No one really knows what we need other than ourselves. In my busier seasons of life when I used to work or homeschool, I need at least 30 min of uninterrupted quiet time each morning. It was the minimum time I need with the Lord. I get up earlier in order to allow that time. I would prefer an hour but often I can only squeeze in 30 min. I am thankful to say that I am in a slower season now so I have about 3 hours of quiet to myself each morning. During this time, I take my morning walk, meet with the Lord, respond to emails, read, work on my blog, journal.... etc. I love this time each day. I tried to schedule everything in the afternoons because I know me, I get a bit cranky if I don't have my morning time to recharge. You know what you love, everyday take care of you by going to the Father and doing a bit of the things you love. Jesus often took time away from the busyness and retreated to meet with God the Father. He set a pattern for us to follow.
Learning new things is easier than ever now during the electronic age. You can listen to hours of audiobooks or YouTube. You don't have to physically go to college or sit in a classroom to get the same knowledge. I love listening because I can do chores, walk or sit in a bus while I listen and learn. There are so many new things I still can learn, whether it's playing an instrument, painting, or improving relationships, the internet makes it so easy, as long as we are intentional and willing.
Be Intentional about Giving to Others
We are to love others and add value to the world in ways only we can give. God created us each with unique gifts and talents. You can give this world something that I cannot. The more you use your God given gifts, the more He multiplies the gift. Sometimes the work you do may seem insignificant. I was that stay home mom for many years and most days I didn't feel like I was really doing anything important. But now looking back, it was a privilege to be there for my four young children, I was the best person for that job. Like Daniel's mom, who was shaping his faith and love for God at a young age in preparation of his great purpose. I've had many jobs in my life, whether it's being a federal auditor, an accountant, teacher, or managing a cafe in a senior home, I had a specific job that I was commissioned to do, and I did the job the best that I could. Here in Taiwan, I am starting to serve in playing piano for senior choir and midweek service, something I haven't done in 30 years, but there is a need and God wants to use me this way, I will obey. I know that when God calls us to something, He always gives us the ability to do it. God equips the called. I'm also serving in a local CR ministry, something close to my heart. They were thrilled that I came at such a time as this because they were just getting started and needed more guidance and training. God didn't waste my 11 years of Celebrate Recovery experience. I am starting to make some new friends and I want to add value to their lives. I think about how I can love and give to others each morning, in my home and outside of my home. If you are looking intentionally about ways to bless others, God will show you how. Then in giving to others, we will be blessed in return. That's the beauty in giving, we are happier and healthier human beings as a result.
The other day I watched this movie in Netflix called "Leo". It was an animated kids' movie. I was surprised how good it is and it made me laugh. The movie was about this old lizard called Leo who was a classroom pet. He realized that he only probably had a year to live, so he started speaking to the kids as each kid took him home. He was able to pass on his years of wisdom and change the lives of many children, and they loved him in return. The psalmist said, "O Lord, teach us to number our days." Let us not wait until our last year in life to make a difference. Be intentional in living each day as a special gift from the Lord. 😊Blessings.
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