In late February I wrote a blog about choosing “My One Word” for 2012. I choose the word intentional and declared my intentions of “focusing my time and energy on what is truly important rather than simply responding to situations that present themselves.” It’s now mid-June and the year will soon be half over. It’s time to take stock of how I’ve done, and the scorecard is not encouraging, although it is not as dismal as I thought it might be.
I previously declared my goals to be intentional (1) in getting deeper into God’s Word and growing closer to Him, (2) in seeking His will for every aspect of my life, (3) in putting relationships ahead of accomplishing a to-do list, and (4) in taking steps to maintain my health, which will include losing weight and exercising more. I also declared that I would spend less time mindlessly watching whatever show happens to be on television or surfing the Internet, less time playing Solitaire and Angry Birds, and less time stressing over situations that may or may not occur and that won’t matter to me a week later.
Of course, as soon as you declare a course of action, it seems as if life conspires to interfere with your plans. Shortly after writing my Intentional blog, we made an offer on a house, my brother-in-law died Bob unexpectedly, we closed on our house and moved, and we began a major renovation project. Chaos ensued and I found myself reacting to situations rather than focusing my time and attention in productive ways. We are now somewhat settled into the new house, we are adjusting to the big hole left in our lives by Bob’s absence, and the master bath renovation is awaiting shower doors to be complete.
It’s time to get my life back to some semblance of normalcy and my focus back on being intentional in my actions. During this period of great distractions, I was faithful in my daily devotions. I start each day by spending time reading the Bible and asking God to help me glorify Him in all that I do. I think it is human nature to seek God’s help and draw closer to Him in troubled times and that was certainly true for me. That is the positive side of the scorecard.
On the negative side, I’ve fallen back into old habits of playing solitaire and wasting time reading meaningless tripe on the Internet. I justify these time-wasting activities as stress relief; however, I am generally more stressed afterwards because nothing has been crossed off my to-do list. I have managed to lose 4 pounds–not much for four months of denying myself bread and potatoes, but at least it is a loss and not a gain. It probably goes without saying that I haven’t been exercising. And I haven’t been writing. My third novel which was to be completed by May 1 is no further along than it was in February.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines repent as “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” That sounds like a good plan for my life. So, I hereby repent of my lack of living intentionally and declare that I will turn from my sin and rededicate myself to those noble goals which I set earlier this year. For the remainder of 2012, I will live intentionally and make the most of each day and each opportunity to grow in my relationship with God and those most important in my life and to improve my health.
Susan's Reflections 
Have you been spying on me!? I could have almost written…..some of the details are different but the result the same!
We are off to a family wedding…when I return I shall be more intentional!
I hope you have a wonderful time at the wedding, Beverly, and are intentional about spending some quality time with family members you rarely see. Weddings are a great opportunity to catch up with family.