Good Intentions

I think we often go through life filled with good intentions that never take shape. These intentions sit in our heads, waiting to be given life, but are never given a chance. Before to long, these good intentions die off and are replaced with other good intentions that may or may not happen.

I have never been good at sending thank-you notes. I appreicate them and think I should be better at sending them, and many time intend to, but it hardly ever happens. At this moment, I have a long, running list of people I should send thank-you notes to, dating back a few months. Which means the list is growing and now I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of thank-you notes I need to write. And, being a recently married gal, I’ve already had my fair share of thank-you card writing, so this long list isn’t exactly taking a priority in my life right now. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right?

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

You know why? Because those people on my list can’t read my thoughts; they have no idea that they are sitting on a list of people that I really do want to send a note of thanks to. This is the realization I have been coming to more and more; yes, God sees my heart and knows how thankful I am, but people in my life who have blessed me beyond belief with gifts or amazing hospitality can’t. I need to take action to thank them.

It isn’t just with thank-you notes; it’s with words of encouragement, expressing your opinion, calling someone out, sending a random gift, volunteering, actually praying for someone right there when you say you will, calling a friend to catch up. Keeping these things inside you, as good of intentions as they may be, won’t really do anyone any good. Let them loose! Take action!

I am preaching to myself in this blog post. I so often internalize good intentions; I need to practice action.