I can tell you right now that writing for The Odyssey is not always an easy task. Yes, us writers LOVE words, love writing, and love this task. But there are days, weeks, and even months in which coming up with ideas to write about it insanely difficult, while other weeks we know what to say without a second thought. We try to be intentional with our writing. We make sure that we write about a new year of school in August rather than September, and that we write about Summer in July rather than January (or vice versa for all you Southern Hemisphere folks). But sometimes we just *know* what to write and when to write it.

For me, this is one of those weeks.

I already mentioned intention. And while everything I said thus far about Odyssey is true, intention to me means so much more. So I decided to resurrect a piece of my heart. Something that I have shared in countless conversations, in front of Churches, and whenever someone will give me an open ear.

Because ‘intention’ is so much more than a word.

If someone were to lookup the definition for the word ‘intention’ they would find many different things going for the word;

a thing intended; an aim or plan. Isn’t it improper to say the word in its definition?

the action or fact of intending. This isn’t helping… let’s try another.

the healing process of a wound. Okay, we’re just going in the wrong direction.

For me intention is more than a plan, or the process of healing a wound. It’s something I’ve heard on countless retreats and mission trips. It’s a nine letter word that I try to live my life by. And I’m going to tell you the story of how a combination of letters turned from a vocabulary word to the way I try to live my life.

Growing up I loved to help people, I knew that it was the right thing to do so I helped people for that reason and that reason alone. Helping people is good and kind and something that everyone in the human race should do, right? Well, when I started attending Youth Group I got a whole new view on helping people. As I progressed through my years of Youth Group I not only discovered the love of Christ but I also found out how to be intentional.

There I go again with that word intention. What does that even mean anyway? I guess I’ve kept you waiting long enough haven’t I?

Intention is something similar to knowing that helping people is the right thing to do; but it’s so much deeper than that. Intention is not only knowing what is right but it’s doing what is right, and beyond that wanting to do what is right.

Being intentional with your time is understanding what it means to help someone else, to spend time with God, and to want that. So, sure, you can say that Intention is simple a plan, something on your to do list, you can even say that Intention is the process of healing a wound, but to me Intention means so much more. And my intention is to spread that meaning and that message to whoever will listen, to whoever has the intentions to help people, because that’s how I started, and let me tell you, it wasn’t a bad place to start.