“Do we know our intentions before going into something? Or do we learn them along the way?”
I thought this was a brilliant question, and the answer is both.
On one hand, we “know” our intentions and can set them in thought or writing before going in. And on the other hand, we have intentions subtly running in the background that mirror the voice of our past self and our pain. Those are intentions that are picked up along the way out of fear and protection. The two can run counter to one another when unhealed pain is lying underneath the surface.
To give you an example of what I mean: You can state that you want to be a millionaire, but subconsciously, you’re afraid of failure and what it takes to get there because of either never having seen it or some other shame from the past. So there’s a version of you that is afraid, and intends not to even try it.
Now you have competing intentions at play.
Examples of areas/levels I am referring to that can be in conflict with your verbalized intentions, and how they can interfere are as follows:
–Emotional pain that causes you to push people and growth opportunities away.
–Spiritual discord that has you to mistrust God because of worldly hurt or misaligned teaching.
–Financial instability that has you spending your money on everything but the way forward. The stress caused by this can also repel the growth and results you seek because your energy is depleted.
–Our actions can also cause resistance to our intentions coming to life if they are in opposition to our growth or simply don’t align with what we say we want.
Do you experience any of these? Then you probably are frustrated with your intentions and goals not getting traction.
I can outwardly set the intention to blog each week, but if a past version of myself that didn’t keep up with it, is reminding me of all my failed attempts, a subtle part of me is likely rejecting that intention. Another part of me was afraid of other people’s opinions on my thoughts. We got that together in the last post. I make traction now because I got her together.
How do we balance them, you may ask?
We find balance by healing. And we heal by reconciling with past versions of ourselves. By acknowledging, forgiving, being with, and releasing among other things. One way that I begin this process with clients is by visiting that younger version of yourself and telling him or her what they needed to hear or simply reassuring them by telling them you turned out being okay.
By healing your past and giving your younger self the assurance they need to relax, you allow the new you to thrive, without that fearful voice secretly rejecting your intentions. When you’ve identified what it is that is ailing them, then you can help them rewrite their intentions too. You’ll feel more aligned with your self and your intentions when doing this.
When we have our intentions out of alignment like that, it can also affect your prayer life. If you’re not honest about the intentions underneath, you’re missing out on an opportunity for it to be touched by God. Additionally, it is more clear to God how to answer your prayer when all of your intentions are in alignment. If we ask for a thing, but are afraid or secretly reject it, He has more work to do to get us the thing so that it does not destroy us or derail our destiny. And this is why it is important that we heal.
Acknowledging our fears and subconscious limitations are an important part of being in relationship with God and letting Him heal you.
These thoughts are just access points to get you closer to being in communication with Him. Maybe they’re scattered, maybe they make sense, maybe they’ll land another day. But no matter what, I hope they get you thinking more deeply about the intentions you set. Because healthy thoughts become healthy lifestyles.
If you feel you have more to unpack than you can on your own, feel free to schedule a discovery call to dive deeper through one-on-one coaching.
I say a little bit more on the subject here: https://youtu.be/MGZaaOf34P8
