January 2022 – Intentional
January laid the foundation for understanding my new word – intentional.
Intentional – intended; designed; done with purpose. ~Webster 1828
Intentional living simply means to live the life that you truly want. A life by [the] design of your choosing, rather than living a life that just ‘happens’ to you. ~The Goal Chaser
I want to be intentional in seeking the Lord, in trusting Him, in delighting myself in Him, and in cultivating faithfulness by the Spirit of God. I desire to ‘fix my mind’ on the things above and ‘purpose’ to know God in deeper ways.
Intentional intimacy with God leads to spiritual growth, soul growth, and body growth.
When you get right down to it, intentional living is about living your best story. ~John C. Maxwell [AZ 25]
February 2022 – Intentional Delight, Worship and Prayer
Intentional Delight – delight in God’s Presence, delight in God’s Word, delight in celebrating life.
Intentional Worship – worship Him with my spirit, worship Him with my soul, and worship Him with my body.
Intentional Prayer – prayer from the Word of God to reflect my spirit, soul, and body.
My two Scriptures for 2022 are:
Matthew 7:7-8 NASB
- Ask, and it will be given to you
- Seek, and you will find
- Knock, and it will be opened to you
- For everyone who asks receives
- And he who seeks finds
- And to him who knocks it will be opened
Psalm 37:3-5 NASB
- Trust in the Lord and do good
- Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness
- Delight yourself in the Lord
- And He will give you the desires of your heart
- Commit your way to the Lord
- Trust also in Him, and He will do it
March 2022 – Intentional Writing
March had me solidify my core intentional desire to write for an Audience of One.
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” ~Colossians 3:23-24 NASB
He alone can satisfy me. He alone can meet my inner desires to delight and worship Him. He alone can bring delight, fulfillment and rest to my soul.
Living from a whole heart means we are not shackled by the past, tethered by the present, or imprisoned by fear for the future. ~Lisa Blair
April 2022 – Intentional Gardening
I believe the Master Gardener calls us to come commune with Him in the garden. The size matters not, and the ownership matters not – whether it is our garden, a community garden, a botanical garden or nature-at-large, the Lord beckons us to spend time with Him, enjoying His beautiful creation.
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” ~Dale Carnegie
“Your mind is a garden; your thoughts are the seeds. The harvest can be flowers or weeds.” ~William Wordsworth
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” ~Audrey Hepburn
May we each be encouraged to walk hand-in-hand with the Master Gardener and enjoy His wonderful creation. Whether enjoying a large country garden, cherishing a small city garden, or strolling in a public garden, know that the Master Gardener is ever present, delighting in showing us His beautiful creation, and in sharing His wonderful Presence. May we truly experience the depth of His love that never fails.
“[The righteous are] planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.” ~Psalm 92:13 NASB
“Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You’re closer to God’s heart in a garden than any place else on earth.” ~Dorothy Frances Gurney
May 2022 – How to Enter Intentional Rest
Physical Rest – slow down, sleep, relaxation.
Soul Rest – quietness, reflection, refreshment, vacation.
Spiritual Rest – stillness, prayer, Sabbath, study of God’s Word.
Personal rest – This month, I entered intentional rest by daily slowing down, quieting my soul, and in the stillness of the garden, I communed with the Lord. I entered into the soul exchange of refreshment with daily walks with my husband and dog. I enjoyed a two-day prayer retreat with a friend in a nearby city. My soul was refreshed when I photographed several gardens as I traveled to and from our meeting site.
Rest can be simple or elaborate, in the midst of daily life or an excursion which includes a break from our regular routine. How it looks isn’t the point. The point is to be intentional in refreshing and refueling our spirit, soul and body through rest.
June 2022 – Intentional Pursuit
We can walk in intentional pursuit of God’s heart by pursuing Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Heart pursuit – God says when we seek Him with our heart, we will find Him.
Soul pursuit – God says when we ask, seek, knock, then we will receive, find, and have it opened before us.
Mind pursuit – we can choose not to lean on our own understanding, but to allow God’s Word to give us His perspective on what is “true, right, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy.” (Philippians 4:8 NASB)
Strength pursuit – we want to intentionally use our physical strength to love the Lord.
Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is really our intentional response to the Living God’s love for us. ~Lisa Blair
July 2022 – 5 Simple Ways to Use Intentional Waiting to Your Advantage
Advantage One – Intentional Waiting Helps Us Renew Our Strength.
Advantage Two – Intentional Waiting Determines Our Resolve.
Advantage Three – Intentional Waiting Restores Our Equilibrium.
Advantage Four – Intentional Waiting Improves Our Spirit.
Advantage Five – Intentional Waiting Brings Wholeness.
August 2022 – 3 Targeted Steps for Intentional Death to Unlock Life
Targeted Step One – Believe.
Targeted Step Two – Surrender.
Targeted Step Three – Follow Him.
Intentional Death for Life – when we choose to intentionally follow Christ as Savior, humble ourselves in obedient surrender, allow Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit, and follow Him, we find true life.
September 2022 – DISC Personalities – How to Have Intentional Relationships
D Personalities are Outgoing/Task-Oriented. We look at the Problem Solver and The Planner.
I Personalities are Outgoing/People-Oriented. We look at The Influencer and The Supporter.
S Personalities are Reserved/People-Oriented. We look at The Stabilizer and The Sightseer.
C Personalities are Reserved/Task-Oriented. We look at The Rule Follower and The Innovator.
Intentional relationships start with understanding the four basic DISC personalities. ~Lisa Blair
October 2022 – 7 Intentional National and International Celebrations
Intentional celebrations are done by design and with a purpose. Intentional national celebrations include Independence Day, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Intentional international celebration of Queen Elizabeth II – who was the second longest reigning monarch in the history of the world, and both the longest British monarch and longest female monarch in history. [VF] We look at Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee, her memorial service and funeral.
Golden Rule, “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”
As you enter into intentional celebration with your family and friends, sow kindness, love, and joy. Show others how much they mean to your heart by valuing them through celebration. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just sincere.
November 2022 – Intentional Love the Greatest Gift of All
We look at the 4 Types of Love – Affection (Storge), Friendship (Philia), Passion (Eros), and Selfless Love (Agape).
We look at what love is and is not through the Bible verses found in 1 Corinthians 13.
We look at George Washington Carver’s eight cardinal virtues to recognize how love can be expressed toward others.
God was intentional in His love for us and gave us the greatest gift of all. God gave His Son so that we might experience the depth of His love for all eternity. If you would like to find God for yourself, but are unsure how: How to Find God – Strength with Dignity
Intentional has been a wonderful One Word for 2022! I believe I have grown in my spirit and soul as I intentionally pursued God and reflected upon Him, His Word, and His character this year.
Recommendation:
Intentional One Word Articles can be found at this site: One Word – Strength with Dignity
References:
32 Intentional Living Quotes: Live Like You Mean It! Published by The Goal Chaser. Retrieved January 3, 2022, from 32 Intentional Living Quotes: Live Like You Mean It! (thegoalchaser.com)
Garden Quotes: 36 of the Best Gardening Quotes by Famous People. Published February 4, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from Inspirational & Famous Garden Quotes | Install-It Direct (installitdirect.com)
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB 1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee: Celebrating 70 Years on the Throne. Published by Vanity Fair. [VF] Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.vanityfair.com/live/queen-elizabeth-platinum-jubilee-live-blog
Top 25 Quotes. Published by AZ Quotes. [AZ 25] Retrieved January 3, 2022, from TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOHN C. MAXWELL (of 1087) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
Webster 1828 Dictionary. Retrieved December from http://webstersdictionary1828.com
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid Member #bgbg2 #BibleGateway
26 thoughts on “Intentional Reflections”
What a wonder-filled year it has been with your One Word, “Intentional” Lisa. Such richness entwined with simplicity. I enjoyed travelling this road with you!
It has been a wonder-filled year, Donna! I wasn’t sure where our One Word journey would lead us in the beginning of 2022, but it has been a good year. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Lord leads us in 2023, as we propel forward with intentionality and resilience.
I love how you broke your word down into monthly themes. I do that with my words too and it helps me stick with it in a variety of ways. Thanks for so faithfully sharing with us each month how God was using your word! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Have a monthly theme made my WOTY “down-to-earth” and helped me “graft” it into the fabric of my life, Lisa. I hope you get to feeling better and that you have a grace-filled Christmas!
Lisa, this fabulous monthly break down of INTENTIONAL makes me want to go back and read my own monthly posts on my word.
It is helpful when we reflect on how the Lord led us the past eleven months, Michele.
What a fabulous idea to have a word of the year and Intentional is such a great motivator! Such a beautiful post to round off 2022! Sim x
I really enjoyed the word intentional this past year, Sim! There’s a Word of the Year (WOTY) group, if you are interested via LisaNotes.com Writing once a month for the group has kept my word before me and helped me grow as a person. We would enjoy your presence!
I love how you recapped your year with Intentional! I should do that as a reminder to myself of all I’ve learned. May god continue to guide and grow you through this next year.
Intentional brought a lot of growth for me in 2022, Anita. May God bless you in 2023!
Lisa, I love how you had a different focus to learn more about Intentional through each month. What a great idea! This is a word I’ve focused on in the past. It’s such a great one! It was nice to read the recaps from each. month. 🙂
Intentional was a great WOTY, Jeanne, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The monthly focus helped me understand and grow in my word last year.
It looks like you had a great year with the word, intention! Thanks for sharing your experience and the scriptures! Blessings to you, Lisa!
It was a great year with the word intentional, Gayl!
I love this Lisa!! I love how you focused and walked out your chosen word for the entire year and recorded it! What is your word for this year, Lisa? ❤️ I still haven’t settled on mine, but the ones I’ve thought of are Rooted, Beautiful, and Redeeming or Redemption.
My word this year is leadership, and I’m still trying to work out what that looks like for January. Wow! All four words are amazing! May the Lord give you wisdom in which one is for this year, Donna.
Wow. I just loved how you broke down the word INTENTIONAL for every month. Very Inspiring too. I learnt something new today. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you were encouraged and inspired, Ufuoma! Intentional was a great Word of the Year for 2022!
Lisa, wow. You’re already living out your word as you’ve intentionally, purposefully laid out a thoughtful and thorough plan for the months ahead. I find it hard to do that kind of work in this season but I admire those who clear their minds and hearts to go the distance.
I leave here motivated, friend!
I thoroughly enjoyed intentional as my Word of the Year in 2022, Linda! I felt like I learned and grew so much as a person. Yes, we walk through different seasons, and sometimes, we need a season of rest, reflection, and even time to grieve. May you have a grace-filled 2023!
What a fabulous array of intentionally lived-out months. It’s easy to let the days pass by without intention but I’m reminded of Psalm 90 which tells us to “number our days”. You have inspired me, Lisa.
Blessings,
Tammy
Intentional was a wonderful word of growth for me, Tammy. I’m so glad you were inspired and pray 2023 is a blessed year for you and your family.
Lisa, I love your One Word 2023 recap. I enjoyed taking the Intentional journey with you in 2022.
Thank you bunches for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.
Intentional was a great WOTY, Paula, and it was fun to see how the Lord walked with both of us last year!
What an intentional infusion of your word of 2022 – wholistic, healthy, beautiful and deep! Did you outline what you wanted to do with Intentional in January – or did it start out with one or two and grow in the intentional use of intentional? Just lovely!
I’m so glad you were encouraged, Maryleigh! I started out with one or two and grew in the meaning of intentional throughout the year. It was a wonderful journey!