The Spirit of Intention
What do you intend to do
in the next 5 years, 5 months, 5 days, 5 hours or 5 minutes be it a life career or
vocation, a one day task of even some kind of leisure activity? It’s easy
provided one has the intellectual, physical and skill capacity to achieve anything
one desires. From life experience, it requires something a little more than
that so as to finally reach a goal for your life’s fulfillment. It calls for
the Spirit of Intention to achieve fulfillment which is beyond
contentment. Many people today do things that help them achieve what they
desire and live contentment than fulfillment. In fulfillment, one discovers
constant growth both spiritual and intellectual which are often kept away by
contentment. So ask yourelf, is what am doing today in the here and now
bringing fulfillment or its easy for me to say, “Am not complaining therefore
it’s okay”. The choice is yours.
I would like to draw
this in the line of my 3 years of formation with the Missionaries of Africa. A
great and memorable period of time though with growth-filled challenges.
This first phase being for Social and Philosophical Studies, it also included
other dimensions such as pastoral work, spiritual nourishment, and the human
development dimensions. All these actualized in different day to day activities
like community and individual prayer, sports, manual work, visiting different
people in their social setups, recreation, cooking and dish washing.
To the crux of the
matter, it’s easy to run through all these activities as chronologically
designed by our fore-fathers without acquiring the intention
of each small activity since one is more focused on the destination. Often
times before I take up a simple task, I imprint in my subconscious why I want
to do it. This is by asking myself the question “why take it up, and if you
don’t, who will, how will I be affected and the people around me?” In this
case, I am seeking the spirit of why I intend to do that I
going to do. This yields to greater creativity and growth in passion
for what I want to accomplish. Just as a believer, I know that Faith and Hope
in God and Charity to my brethren will bring me salvation, what
would picking up a littered piece of paper, cleaning a dish, dancing and
singing with children, visiting the prison, slums and vulnerable children’s
homes (add your task) bring me and the people am reaching-out to?
Or is it my responsibility done with no passion but due to
routine and what other people will say?
This anyway may not need
or does not need others’ remarks about what you do. Just do it as St. Paul says
in 1 Cor. 16:14, “let everything you do be done in love” (NJB). This will add a
gram to your talents, skills and abilities. As Martin Luther Jr. said, “after
you have discovered your calling, do or live it as if God called you at this
particular moment in history to do or live it” (ref: The
Measure of a man). This all requires one to be ‘in’ wholesomely to what is
regarded as a responsibility in a career, vocation or task in order to live
one’s desired dream.
“God does not want our deeds but the
Spirit that prompts them”
St. Theresa of Avila.
Let’s serve Humanity in
good willed Spirit. God bless.
Walimbwa Teddy Richard