Whatever Christian: intention

Whatever Christian

Friday, March 26, 2010

intention

My generation has gone soft in many ways. Some of that softening is good, but not all of it. One way I believe we've "gone soft" compared to past generations is the whole idea of intent. We are tolerant of misguided actions as long as there were "good intentions." I'm here to say that intention doesn't mean squat if there isn't action behind it. And I'm willing to bet there is some controversy with that statement. First of all, I believe that we will be judged (and given grace) based off both the condition of our hearts and our actions. Ultimately, that is the Lord God's job, but we humans do it to each other as well as some form of "justice regulation." Secondly, from a sociological/psychological standpoint it's utterly fascinating to delve into the reasons behind our actions and can provide much insight to the human soul. However, with those aspects aside, I firmly agree with the age old cliche "actions speak louder than words."

When I lived in Haiti, there was no cook early Sunday morning and it was Angela's(house manager of the orphanage) job to feed the children breakfast. She got up early every morning to prepare food for thirty hungry kids. I had agreed to help. Most days I would, at best, wake up just as she was finishing the preparation and would help pass out the food. I didn't intentionally lie in bed and choose to not go help her. I didn't not get up out of spite. I wanted to help and felt bad when I dropped the ball. I didn't intentionally not keep my word, but I also was not intentional about getting up. I did not proactively make sure I had an alarm set or someone to wake me. I didn't go to bed early knowing that I was going to have to get up early. I didn't intentionally NOT help her, but I also didn't intentionally help.

While intention doesn't stand up to action in it's effectiveness, they can be a powerful combination. At the Rocknasium (an indoor rock climbing gym), there was a route I'd been trying. The very first maneuver required me to grab a rock from a near sitting position that was just out of my reach. Over and over again I'd let go of the first rock to reach the upper one and fall flat on my back. People were encouraging me and I was getting frustrated with my failure, a concoction to be reckoned with. Finally, with determination in my eyes, I lunged with every muscle in my body and grabbed onto that rock. A girl who'd be standing with us said "Yes! You did it... with conviction this time!" My focus was fixed and I was able to do what I'd set out to do because of the intent behind my action.

Those two examples are small things. Rock climbing isn't important and children got fed whether I stayed in bed all day or not. But it makes me wonder about the collective force of action with intention. We may not be intentionally ignoring the thousands of people living in modern-day slavery, those without access to clean drinking water, victims of abuse and rape, those without homes, food, or medical attention, those who've never been free to read or write, or those without a voice... but if we are not intentionally doing something about it, what are we doing? I want to be an intentional, convicted servant with the strength, grace, and vision of God propelling me. And if I can pull that off, I'd be a little powerhouse for real change and a real demonstration of Love. Imagine what it'd be like if we all did the same...

posted by Carsen @ 8:43 AM

2 Comments:

At March 26, 2010 at 10:04 AM, Kathy Eden said…

So true Carsen! I want to share this with my Pastor because he speaks of this a lot. I'm sure he would appreciate your insight. Thank you for sharing!
At March 26, 2010 at 4:36 PM, angela said…

i read this this morning (that double "this" seems weird . . . ) and i haven't stopped thinking about it. you make a great point here, friend. thanks for putting down into words.

also, i appreciated the hand while passing out the food. :)