Intention

I believe in the law of attraction.

There is the house a couple miles down the road from us that is the most beautiful house in our town. I say hello to it- out loud- every time we drive past it. Sometimes I tell it “You’re a good house.” Or, “We love you, house.” According to an online real estate website (I stalk, what of it?), it has this magical back porch with an outdoor fireplace and a ceiling fan, overlooking our fabulous lake. The whole house is big and open and filled with beautiful hardwood and stone. It’s not for sale, and if it was it would easily be over a million dollars.  But I believe in the law of attraction, and I believe that sending out positive thoughts, feelings, and vibes can only bring about good things. Just as I believe using damaging words or thinking negative things toward something or someone brings about negative change.

I love this house and one day- if it so chooses us- I would love to be its owner. I’ll keep sending out positive vibes and I’ll keep saying hey on the way home from the grocery store. One day I might live there. Or maybe not.

But this blog isn’t really about that house. It’s not really about getting anything from anyone.

This blog is about intention.

I believe in the law of attraction, and I believe that if you spend your time being intentional with your thoughts and feelings and words and actions and choices, that you can positively affect your outcome. Or negatively, depending on what kind of intention you’re setting. But the outcome can be affected, one way or the other.

I help run a discipleship school at Adventures In Missions, called The Center for Global Action, or CGA. We have 29 new apprentices who arrived a few days ago to begin 1, 2, or 3 semesters of training and equipping in order to be launched healthier and more effectively into their Kingdom calling, be it opening up a coffee shop, heading overseas to be long-term missionaries, or traveling back home to reconcile with estranged family members.

When I say “I help run it” I mean I care specifically for the discipleship program and the community aspect, as well as teaching a semester-long course, and managing marketing, admissions, and member care. Basically, I have a hand in various aspects of their experience from when they first hear about us to up to a year after they leave us. It’s a big job and I love it.

But the most important thing I can bring to this job- and the program itself- is my intentionality. Am I showing up to teach my Identity class fully prepared with the material and with the Lord? Am I showing up to each of my interview calls with clarity and ready discernment? Am I focused on the apprentices when they’re in front of me, sharing their stories or seeking guidance about a struggle? Or am I distracted, thinking about the next to-do, or seeking the Lord minimally?

These apprentices have answered a call on their life to something Greater, and I have the privilege of helping prepare them for that Greater. But if my intention is not to do just so, if I allow the little things to become big, distracting things, the outcome then becomes a gamble.

But if I use my time, energy, resources, and gifts intentionally to bring about positive transformation in the thoughts, actions, and lives of my apprentices, I’m really fulfilling more than my job- I’m fulfilling the call I have on my life, to teach, train, and inspire the next generation.

I believe in the law of attraction. I believe that my good thoughts, positive intentions, and peaceful energy can transform not only my own environment, but the lives of the people with whom I interact. Here’s to paying attention to the little things in order to make an impact on the big things.