Intention

I like the statement, "I am my intention wrapped here in this flesh and blood" from the title song from Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" (sung by Melissa Etheridge). The practice of setting intentions, meditating on intentions and visualizing intentions has increasingly become more of who I am and how I live my life. It seems to be working for me. There is a spiritual moment for me in the middle of the "Warrior 2" yoga pose where it feels like my body, mind and spirit are aligned and moving in one seamless direction. It is a fleeting moment that happens at the point where my brain lets go and my body just is.

Orthodox Christianity is still wrestling with what intention means and how to speak about a practice that seems to be eastern in nature. The cover article in my latest preaching magazine is devoted to maligning those who believe in one aspect of setting intention--called the Law of Attraction--which has been brought into pop culture by the movie, "The Secret." Sure, we aren't supposed to believe that God exists to serve my needs, just as Paul instructed the church in Ephesus, "If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit."

Compare this, though, to what Paul wrote to the church in Colossia, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you."

The Greek word for "think" is from the verb, "logizimai" which means to consider, take into account, weigh, meditate on, or to determine, purpose or decide. The Greek Lexicon also says this word deals with reality, "If I 'logizomai or reckon that my bank account has $25 in it, it has $25 dollars in it. Otherwise I'm deceiving myself. This word refers to facts not suppositions."

It seems that there is a connection between thinking on these things (setting intention) and manifesting these things in life. It seems like what we think about could become who we are...back to that phrase, what goes in also comes out. What if our thinking does shape who we become. Probably doesn't happen overnight. Maybe not even this year. But slowly over time. What we are thinking--or perhaps most notably what we aren't thinking--will eventually become the reality of our lives.

I say all this to say that my colleague clergywoman friend announced today that she is taking a family-leave of absence to raise her children. And I'm so excited for her. I think this will be a great opportunity and she is blessed to be able to make this choice. For many families, there is not the financial option to have a one-career family, and for other women, they are the only parent in the family. I applaud her because she has considered the magnitude of parenthood and discerned what is best for her family and she is setting her intention to understand parenthood as discipleship.

It seems to me that the process of setting intention, especially when it comes to the decision of whether or not to have kids, is something missing in American society today. What would it be like for parents to consider what it means to receive a soul from heaven to be embodied here on earth and to set their intention for how they will parent before they become parents? Maybe this happens more than I think. If so, then why do we go to the minister for pre-marital counseling and the medical doctor for pre-natal counseling?

And what does parenting look like if the goal is to hear God say at the end of your life, "Well done, good and faithful parent." What if steward was from the Greek word for parent? (It's not, but if it was, wow, it would change a lot of how we think about Christian duty).

Enough for today. Best wishes to my colleague and friend. And to all mothers out there who wrestle with this very personal life decision, may you set your intention and find that "Warrior 2" place of harmony as you live out your intention, whatever that might be.