Joy in Being Intentional

Choosing God First, On Purpose

Nov 06, 2025

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5–6

What if the most revolutionary thing you could do today isn’t louder worship or longer prayers, but simply choosing to meet with God first, on purpose?

Today, I want to share how choosing God first, really first, has been reshaping my mornings, steadying my days, and filling my life with unexpected joy and divine appointments I never could have orchestrated on my own.

I’ve been learning that intentionality with the Lord isn’t about performance or perfection. There’s a quiet shift that happens when we decide to live on purpose with God. When we stop letting the day set our pace and invite the Lord to set our pace instead. Intentionality isn’t loud. It’s not a public performance or a perfect checklist. It’s the daily turning of the heart: Lord, I’m here first with You. Over time, this posture changes what we notice, what we reach for, what we celebrate. Ordinary moments begin to glow with meaning. Small needs become places where God winks. Interrupted plans become gentle reroutes toward grace.

When Success Takes a Back Seat to Surrender

A few weeks ago, I read an article in Business Insider* about Bozoma Saint John. Her success wasn’t what most impressed me, it was her rhythm. She shared about the ups and downs and challenges of working hard, as well as ‘life’ happening along the way. She had become an actual celebrity ‘housewife’ and entrepreneur, which both at the same time can be daunting.

Her background in working for major technology companies, her success as a marketing executive and branding guru, provided her with an opportunity to show others how to do the same as millions of viewers watched weekly while she and Jimmy Fallon collaborated on the new reality competition series called On Brand.

But what gripped me wasn’t her resume, it was how she begins each morning: by thanking God, then lingering with Him for an hour. Gratitude and prayer first. Presence next.

She shared:

“I’ve consistently woken up at 5:30 a.m. throughout my career to pray, meditate, or read—without checking emails or texts. I find that my ideas are very clear at that time in the morning, when I do a lot of praying. It’s when I go to God. I’m usually thinking about something that I want to do and trying to get my mind on the right track.
Prayer is a conversation. Sometimes, I ask for things. Most of the time, I pray for discernment so that I can make the right decision or ask God to help me better understand a situation. Sometimes, I ask for helpers to show up so that I can solve an issue quickly, but mostly it’s a conversation. Often, I feel like God is a homie and I’m just talking to God like I would talk to one of my girlfriends.”

Her posture reminded me why Philippians 4:11–13 is so powerful: the strength of verse 13 rests on the learned contentment of verses 11–12. This witness stirred something in me—to put God first on purpose, not just when it’s convenient and not only when things are going well.

Facing My Need for Control

I had to face a hard truth: I’d said I trusted the Lord, but I still tried to control the narrative of my days because it was written neatly in my planner. Control felt safer than surrender. So I made a new choice; simple, humble, and doable.

Each morning, as soon as I wake, I whisper, “Thank You, Lord, for another wonderful day. Show me what You would have me do, say, and experience.” Then I brush my teeth, wash my face, do a quick hair swoop (up-do, ponytail, twist, or a cap), pour coffee or water, and step onto the balcony. There I worship, do S.O.A.P., and because I’m a happy Bible nerd, follow cross-references in my Study Bible to see how Scripture illuminates Scripture.

I love ‘geeking’ out with my study bible and growing closer to God.

It’s not about achieving a two-hour benchmark, it’s about showing up to God with intention. These baby steps are building a relationship that spills strength into the rest of the day.

Noticing God’s Answers

To anchor my attention, I started a simple three-column prayer log: date, request, and the date I notice an answer. This practice keeps me open to God’s many ways of responding, even when the answer shows up differently than I asked. It’s remarkable how writing things down trains the heart to notice.

And then came the “God-winks.”

One afternoon, I fought a twist-cap bottle like it was an arm-wrestling match. My fingers were sore, and I thought, I need a jar opener. The very next day, while sorting a week’s worth of mail including items still addressed to our deceased parents after our move, I found a “welcome to the neighborhood” solicitation for my husband’s late mother. I almost tore it in half until I saw the words “jar opener gift” in the corner. I laughed, opened it carefully, and thanked the Lord. In such a small, simple way, He had seen me.

Divine Appointments in Ordinary Plans

The next day brought another gentle thread. My husband and I were supposed to meet a couple from church for lunch, but they got stuck at work, and their text arrived fifteen minutes before our reservation. Instead of scrapping the day, we decided to try a new restaurant we’d been eyeing, no small feat in snowbird season when dinner lines run long.

Lunch turned into easy conversation with a kind server and even a “small-world” moment as we swapped stories about running into people far from home. As we were leaving the restaurant, I noticed one of the servers looked very familiar. Even though they all were dressed in black shirts and black slacks (the women reminded me of the models in Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love music video as they were in all black with long and short ponytails), he stood out to me.

I said hello and asked him, “Where have I seen you before?” All I had to go on was asking about a previous employer, and that’s where we made the connection. I congratulated him on his new position and let him know that we would be back to see him again soon.

Ordinary? Yes. But colored by the sense that God was in it.

A Night Drive and a Divine Encounter

Then, later that evening, I needed to mail a thank-you card to my business coach. A card that had been riding around with me for a week. It was dusk, and I don’t usually drive at night, but I felt a nudge to go. As I drove, listening to my favorite music on the radio, the vision of tree-lined streets slipping by, I noticed the road to the post office was very dark. I made the left-hand turn from the main road and pulled into the parking lot in front of the building. Once there, it was evident that the front door of the post office had been repaired. I felt relieved that I wouldn’t have to walk around the building in the dark.

As I was getting out of my car, I noticed a large black SUV, and a man got out of the vehicle and proceeded to walk into the post office. I was just a few steps behind him as he was placing his mail into the mail slot opposite from the box I had dropped my card in. We traded a light joke about flying mail (the feeling of dropping the letter from a high slot and hearing it land into the pile below) and wished we could just go somewhere by plane like the ‘flying’ letters. I joked, “Only when the government shutdown is over, because I’m a little afraid to fly right now.” This was met with a few laughs.

Then we both looked again—that “have we met?” tilt of the head. Outside, we did the “did you work here, maybe someplace else?” routine, only to realize that we’d worked together just over a year ago. The crazy thing was he and I worked at the same place the young man from the restaurant worked. Again, a small-world moment and definitely a God moment since we were the only two at the post office and I had my concerns when I drove up.

We hugged, and as we swapped the “what’s new?” he shared that he’d endured two heart surgeries and a liver transplant since we last saw each other. With much prayer, he received a donor liver within ten days of diagnosis. We teared up and thanked the Lord right there under the post-office lights. He looked strong and healthy.

He said he keeps putting the Lord first every morning and prays consistently throughout his day whether he’s driving, working in the yard, or just when the moment arises. I had shared with him that I had recently begun being more intentional about spending my first few waking hours in the Lord’s presence.

I made sure that I told him that this had to be God at work in our lives, as I shared that I don’t usually drive at night, especially to go to the post office. He told me that he had a similar reason and told his wife that he just wanted to get out of the house and not just drop his mail into their community mailbox.

We exchanged phone numbers to have dinner one evening with our spouses. As we got into our vehicles, I noticed a few more cars coming into the parking lot. Maybe they wanted to get out of the house. Maybe not.

I drove home grateful, a little braver, newly aware that God is writing more intersections than I can see.

What Intentionality Is Doing in Me

This is what intention is doing in me: softening my edges, sharpening my attention, and enlarging my courage. It’s not about a perfectly executed routine. It’s about a surrendered one. When I choose God first, I’m more willing to pivot when plans shift, more likely to notice the person in front of me, and more anchored when fear tries to tighten my shoulders. I wake with a steadier confidence because the day no longer depends on my control, it rests in God’s care.

To keep growing, I enrolled in an equipping class at church called Knowing God’s Will. What I’m learning there dovetails with my morning time in the Word: God delights to guide yielded hearts. The more I choose Him first, the more clearly I recognize His leading. One decision at a time, He is equipping me to share His love quietly, consistently, one person at a time.

And in the deepest places, this is the fruit I crave: not just productivity, but presence; not just outcomes, but obedience; not just plans, but a Person leading me through them.

Let’s Talk

I’d love to hear from you: What does “choosing God first” look like in your current season? What makes it easy, and what makes it hard?

And tell me: Where did you notice a small “God-wink” this week? What made you pause? Or what practice (S.O.A.P., prayer log, meditation, gratitude first) has steadied you most and why?

I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Prayer

“Lord, teach me to choose You first and on purpose. Make my mornings an altar and my days a quiet yes. Tune my attention to Your kindness in small and ordinary ways, and give me courage to follow Your lead. Amen.”

Let’s Choose Intention Together

This week, I challenge you to try one simple practice: before you reach for your phone, before you mentally rehearse your to-do list, speak one sentence to the Lord. It could be gratitude, a question, or simply, “I’m Yours today.” Then notice what shifts—in your pace, your peace, or the “coincidences” that follow.

Drop a comment and let me know what you discover. I genuinely want to hear how God is meeting you in the small, sacred choices of your day.