Be Intentional

March is always a special but oh so crazy month at the Rhodes house.  Spring is definitely in the air and our allergies are all flared up.  Basketball is still going on for the all star season.  Both boys have birthdays this month.  Bo is on the 22nd and Christian is on the 23rd.  Yes, they are one day apart with 4 years in between.  I am always reminded close to their birthdays of how blessed I am to have those two special boys in my life.  Even though it is a hectic month, I still love feeling the warmth of the March sun and seeing the plants starting to bloom.  I love the smell of freshly cut grass and I like seeing people starting to come outside in the neighborhood and out of their winter slumbers.  What can I say?  I am a sunshine girl!
Though Spring makes me happy and I sound all fuzzy and warm, I can say that I have been a little overwhelmed.  Do you ever feel like you are being pulled in all different directions, like there is not enough time in the day?  Do you ever feel like you just can't get enough rest?  Even when you go to sleep, you feel like your mind is racing.  Do you ever feel like you just can't keep up?  Yes I know the scripture that says to not be anxious about anything but in to be in prayer and petition.  But I don't always follow it.  I feel all of these crazy emotions at times and then I go through the different stages of being mad, being sad, feeling sorry for myself, being resentful of everything that demands my time.  The good thing is that after I have my day of pouting as a toddler would and singing poor pitiful me, the Lord puts me in check.  Man, He is good!  Something will hit me like a baseball to the shin and I will pick myself up, wipe my eyes, put on my praise music and make a change.  The change is not always instant but it is intentional.
One of my top prayers all of my life has been that I want to encourage people.  I want to speak words that build up people and bring life to them.  I fail so often to do this.  I was thinking today about how many times I say I will pray for someone and I will but then I forget to check up on them.  Or I tell myself that I need to do the little things that make people smile, like send a note or buy a small gift.  I will write it down on a sticky note and then it ends up at the bottom of my purse.  I also love to write cards and notes to people.  Sadly, with all of the new technology I think hand writing a note has become a thing of the past.  I keep notes at my desk at work so that I will remember to write someone a note as the Lord lays them on my heart.  I noticed that those cards have sat there for a few weeks and I couldn't bring myself to write one.  I told myself I was going to intentionally write one today for someone who had done something that touched my heart recently.  I wrote that card and felt so much better afterwards.  Let's be honest, has any one of us ever felt miserable after doing something nice for someone?
As Christians, we all know that we reap what we sow.  If you want friendship you sow seeds of friendship.  If you need encouragement, you sow seeds of encouragement.  These things should come from the heart and should seem effortless.  But sometimes when life gets in the way and the things of the world hold us back, we must be intentional.  It is just like working out.  Some days you just want to lay on the couch and eat a bag of chips or cookies or a gallon of ice cream.  But you make yourself get your cool looking tennis shoes on and go to the track anyway.  After a while, that workout becomes part of your weekly routine. If you stay committed and dedicated you will eventually see good results.  Doing the right thing is not always easy especially when it involves people and relationships.  Sometimes you just want to chunk the deuce at the world and then go wallow up in some corner by yourself.  But you have to intentionally get up, walk in faith and see the world with Jesus' eyes and feel its heartbeat with hands of compassion and love.
I know there are days that I am not easy to get along with.  Most days I am smiling but there are those days where that smile has to be painted on in order for it to stick.  I see the glass as half full but some days I wish that glass was full of Jose Cuervo.  Not really, because tequila and I have never been friends.  There are days when I am self-centered and I am not showing the love of Christ.  But I know that I am intentionally working on those areas and I will continue to give myself to the only One who can change me from the inside out.  Today, I encourage you to be a blessing to someone even when you feel like you have nothing left to give them.  Be a light in world full of darkness.  You never know who you will unintentionally touch when you intentionally seek to be like the One who created you.

Blessings to you all!
Hope