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“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Did you grow up with that saying? Did you ever wonder about bad intentions? Or if your parents were like mine, the bad ones got punished immediately; you didn’t have to wait for hell.
I actually ponder this phrase as an adult. Without an intention, not much would ever get accomplished. Maybe there is more to developing an intention and maybe more to explore as one moves forward with intent.
When high school graduation approached, the minister of our small church, Brother John, brought each of us graduating seniors into his office for an interview. I have no idea how the other interviews progressed, but mine was a step forward in my intention to work full time in the church. On listening closely, then asking pertinent questions, Brother John told me the church would pay the first-year tuition at the seminary; what an excellent opportunity to develop my intention. I attended seminary for three special years, but life got in the way. I married, became a parent, got divorced, became a single parent. I moved from one side of the country to the other, became disenchanted with the church as I then knew it, and life continued to move along. My only intention was survival for my kids and me.
Life continued as it mostly does until one day, and it was almost that sudden, my intention shifted from survival to thriving. I intended to thrive, and I did. I learned to target the possibilities of my intentions. Life expanded into new territory. There were new visions, broader understandings, a greater awareness of an inner territory. Finally, with many years and much valuable experience, I came full circle back to that original intention of full-time service in a church. This time the intention was fulfilled.
How did that early intention guide my life? Maybe the additional question is, what led to the “church” intention in the first place? My fascination with church began at an early age, so this intention as I moved from childhood into adulthood was not a new thought. Was that a strong foundation for continuation and follow-through of this lifelong intention?
Photo by Michael Tomlinson on Unsplash
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Carol Landry
Carol officially retired in November 2018, after many years of ministry at Unity Church on the Mountain in Huntsville, AL. Prior to ministry, Carol provided Career Counseling workshops for the military and a variety of downsizing businesses. She sold 95% of her worldly goods to continue her love of travel. Carol joined her daughter and son-in-law living the full-time RV life on the road. In 18 months she has traveled from coast to coast and back to Alabama. The process will continue as she follows where ever the road leads. She has traveled to Canada, Europe, and Turkey and lived in many towns in a variety of states. Her writing now includes a new foray into poetry.
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