Find My Intention
Have you ever had this experience?
You’re holding something, like your phone, when suddenly something or someone needs your immediate attention. You set your phone down so you can be present to the situation, and once finished, you return to what you were doing. Only now your phone (or keys or glasses) have disappeared! They were just here but now they’ve vanished into thin air!
This happened to me last week. I was about to leave for work when a text message came through. I answered it and then returned to getting ready for the day. As I walked out the door I realized I didn’t have my phone, so I stepped back inside to retrieve it, only to find it missing. I went into the bedroom…not there. The kitchen…not there. Back to the bedroom…still not there. I used the handy “Find My Phone” feature to ping it and I heard it ding. Oddly, I also felt it buzz. Because it was in my back pocket…I had it with me the whole time and didn’t remember.
In many ways this experience (which sadly is happening more and more!) can be a microcosm of the holidays. I start the season with intention and purpose, setting my mind and heart on remembering the coming of Christ. Suddenly something or someone needs my attention. Sometimes it’s work, other times it’s family, most often it’s a situation that is quickly settled. Then back to what I was doing before…only now, I can’t seem to remember what I did with my intention. Like walking out the door without my phone, only this time I press on into the season unaware that I’ve forgotten my purpose.
Then it hits me as I stand there fuming in the grocery store because the line’s too long and there are too few cashiers working…oh yeah, I was going to spend this holiday season differently. What happened to my intention? This year I’m trying to give the Spirit some space in my soul to serve as the “Find My Intention” feature. So I pause and ask God to ping my heart, to help me hear the ding and feel the buzz again.
One of my favorite things about the Advent season is the reminder that God has come to be with us. Not only through Jesus, but also through His Spirit. Even when I forget, He doesn’t, He is still there, as close to me as my phone was in my pocket last week. He’s been with me the whole time, I just needed to hear and feel Him once again.
That’s my hope for you as you read through this issue of By the Way Magazine. We’ve designed it to help you “Find Your Intention” again this Advent season, to hear His voice and feel His presence through the stories you encounter. May God bless you in the days and weeks ahead, and may you stay open to His Spirit as He leads you into a new year!