Intentional Faith
My husband is going to celebrate a milestone birthday this summer (the big 4-0!) and I stand in awe of the man he is. One of his many qualities I love is he’s one of the most intentional people I know. He maintains a discipline and consistency in his life, and one can see the fruit of his actions in every area. Whether it’s working out, learning Spanish, or grinding through the necessities of furthering his career, he is thorough, dedicated, and intentional with all things. One of the definitions of intentional is to do something with purpose, aim, and design, and my husband is a wonderful example of this.
I used to think life just kind of happened. I know. But just pretend it makes sense for about 37 seconds. I used to think that I was on a path, locked in like a roller coaster, and whatever hills, drops, and loops happened, however intense, was just the lot casted for me. However, as I have grown up, learned, and experienced life, I came to realize life is not locked in. That’s not to say that things happen; there are many circumstances in life that I can’t control whether they happen or not (hello cancer!). And that’s not to say there aren’t certain realities that are locked in: such as the color of my eyes, the family I grew up with, or I barely passed college algebra. I may not be able to change my DNA, my family, or my math struggles, but I am able to be intentional about my life, and my faith.
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
Jeremiah 29:13 NLT
This gem of a verse is after one of the most quoted bible verses of Jeremiah 29:11. What I love about these verses is the context of what was happening. God was encouraging Jeremiah and His people, because they were about to enter into captivity as a consequence for their sin. God was saying, “Yeah, this hard thing is coming. BUT it’s not going to last.” It is because of the difficulties they experienced, they intentionally sought God out.
The past two years have been the most difficult of my life, and I know I’m not alone in this reality. However, as difficult as it has been, I am so thankful for them. It has been through these hard times that I have grown so much deeper in my walk with Jesus. I have had to become much more intentional in my seeking Him because the events happening in my life became so loud, and I found myself drifting away from Jesus.
When I became a Christian, I struggled for many years with my relationship with Jesus. I was flopping around life, just expecting to wake up and somehow have a fantastic career, a beautiful marriage, and a great relationship with Jesus. In my being naive, I didn’t realize I needed to be intentional to achieve these aspirations. Things can become very distracting in our relationships, careers, and the world. It takes thorough, dedicated, and intentional actions to achieve a fantastic career, a beautiful marriage, and yes, a great relationship with Jesus. It takes discipline to read the Bible, worship Him, and for prayer. It takes time to figure out what those things look like for each of us, because what works for one may not work for me.
Do you struggle to focus when praying? Maybe writing out your thoughts can be helpful to discover what to pray for. I have become intentional by writing out my thoughts after my bible reading, which leads to me writing out my prayers on a journal app on my phone. Writing my prayers out also helps me see how faithful God has been to answer them.
Do you love musical worship, but feel you’re musically challenged? Maybe dancing, learning sign language for the song lyrics, or doing art while listening is a way you can worship. I have become intentional to listen to worship and color with my kids, and we talk about the lyrics and what they mean to us.
Do you struggle to read the bible? Maybe an audio version of the Bible, a biblical podcast, or a different translation would be perfect for you. I bounce between different translations when reading the Bible to help me gain a better grasp or a new insight. I have become intentional to listen to an audio Bible while I’m getting ready in the morning.
These are some of the areas I’ve struggled and had to intentionally figure out what works for me, rather than copying what I saw others doing. I want to encourage anyone that may be struggling in any or all of these areas to stretch your ideas of what these activities can look like. Try different avenues of doing them, and see which one sparks for you.
God is full of love and grace and is walking this journey with you and I. While I admire my husband’s amazing quality of living an intentional life, I am even more amazed how God is so intentional with His relationship with us. Knowing this makes me want to be intentional in my seeking Him. When the crazy, loud, confusing situations and events happen in life, and you feel like you’re drifting away from Jesus, it may be time to hone in on your relationship with Him. Another definition of intentional is, “turn your attention to.” As you become thorough, dedicated, and intentional to find out what works best for you in your relationship with Him, I believe He smiles and with loving, open arms say, “Here I am! You are intentionally seeking Me! I see you and hear you. Here I am!” May we live out our lives with intentional faith.
Megan Sinisi absolutely adores a good cup of coffee, chocolate, and sitting with people to share life stories. She is a native to Las Vegas, born and raised, and has four beautiful children with her handsome husband, Vincenzo. She is a counselor, specializing in the field of addictions, with multiple certifications, both in Nevada and nationally. She directed Nevada’s largest treatment court and has been building her private practice since 2014, acquiring contracts with the City of Las Vegas, City of Henderson, Clark County Special Defender’s Office, and Zappos.com. It is because of her own journey of healing and through her career that she has learned the wounds we have can begin to be healed as we share our stories. She considers it an honor when someone shares their story with her, and hopes that as she shares her stories of victory and healing that others can be inspired, encouraged, and challenged. Megan has a love and fervor for writing and is walking in faith that God is calling her to use that passion and gift for His glory. She is someone who is known for her honesty and transparency that brings light to difficult situations and feelings, and offers hope and encouragement for the journey of life. It is her hope that by sharing her journey, it encourages, challenges, inspires, comforts, and most importantly, shines the light of Jesus and the reality of His love, grace, and mercy. You can find more from Megan at www.meganjsinisi.com And @meganjsinisi on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.