Webster’s dictionary defines an intention as “a thing intended; an aim or plan.” As we begin a new year, we set intentions. Our minds, our souls, and our hearts are often aiming in so many different directions at once that it helps to take a moment to set their course, to remind ourselves of what we want to do and bring our hearts back on course.
I have learned this: before setting any other intention, we must first set our sights on the One who causes the sun to rise and set, the One who weaves together the fabric of our lives, the One who loves us deeply and extravagantly.
I take a moment to step outside and breathe deeply, looking up at the stars in the clear night sky. Seeing the expanse of the heavens reminds me of the magnitude of God and the fleeting nature of my own life. The Bible tells us in James 4:14 that our lives are like a vapor that appears for a little while and vanishes. This gives me perspective, and I let myself be reminded. In this finite time that I have to spend on Earth in the midst of an infinite eternity, where will I set my intentions? How will I spend my days?
Intention is often addressed during this time of year in many areas of life: relationships with spouse and kids, health and fitness, professional goals, financial goals, etc.
And I’m reminded as I stand beneath the stars, the most important intention is this: Communing with my Creator and partnering with Him to accomplish His purpose on the Earth. The secret lies in taking the time to hear His voice and learn His purpose in my life during this time that seems long but is truly short. Anyone who has ever lost someone they love knows this truth: the time we have here never seems long enough.
My intentions are set in this way. Before I make a resolution, a goal, or a plan, I will first plan to sit with God in the quiet. I will first set my eyes upon Him and make a space for Him, a place for Him, in my everyday life. I will seek first His kingdom so that all of the other things: the plans, the dreams, the goals, will be added. And more than added, they will be aligned with His plans for my life, which are far better than anything that I could plan for myself.
I shift my focus back to the place where it belongs. Before I reach any other goal, I will reach for this: more time in His presence, more space in my life to hear His voice, more steps taken in faith to accomplish His purpose on this Earth, in this vapor-life that I have been given.
A benediction for 2022:
May we set our sights first upon God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the breather of the stars and the maker of our hearts. Before pursuing any other thing, be it lofty or trivial, may we pursue Him first. May we be His partners, His collaborators to bring hope to the hopeless and love to those who need it most. May our intentions be God-inspired, our focus eternal, our arms open wide to the path where He would lead us. Amen.
