Real Intent

There were so many great phrases in the Come, Follow Me chapters of Moroni 7-9 this week that I thought about discussing, but the one that kept coming back to me was “real intent” (Moroni 7:6,9).

The word "intentional" is something I have focused on for a few years now and it’s amazing to me how much more motivation I have to do good things when I focus on doing things with real intent. It turns out, when I couple my responsibilities with real intent, those tasks becomes more rewarding - they profiteth me something. And, as we do things with real intent, we are more likely to see the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives. 

Elder Gong recently shared the story of a family that earnestly prayed that their family would be welcomed into their new community. After their house burned down, the community finally opened up to this family and showed kindness and acceptance to them. Because of this families' intentional prayers for people’s hearts to be softened towards them, they were able to recognize the house fire as an answer to their prayers and not just as a terrible tragedy. (All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues)

Another story I read had the opposite effect. This story was shared by Randall Ridd, who was serving as Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency when he shared it. "I learned the importance of real intent when I was a young seminary student. Our teacher challenged us to read the Book of Mormon. To keep track of our progress, he created a chart with our names down one side and the books listed across the top. Each time we read a book, a star was placed by our name. At first I didn’t put much effort into reading, and it wasn’t long before I found myself getting further and further behind. Spurred by a sense of embarrassment and my innate competitive spirit, I started reading. Every time I got a star, I felt good. And the more stars I got, the more motivated I was to read—between classes, after school, in every spare minute. This would be a great story if I could tell you I finished first in the class—but I didn’t. (I wasn’t last either, by the way.) But do you know what I did get by reading the Book of Mormon? I know you are thinking “a testimony,” aren’t you? But I didn’t. I got stars. I got stars because that was why I was reading. That was my real intent." (Living with Purpose: the Importance of Real Intent)

Being intentional with the small things takes diligent effort but provides the greatest rewards. Elder Bednar compared this process to looking closely at a painting of a wheat field. As you look close, you can see all the tiny brushstrokes (small, simple), and as you slowly back away you see the magnificent painting of a wheat field (great reward). The lesson is that we can't immediately see the effect of all the intentional things we do everyday, but overtime those small and simple things end up creating a beautiful landscape for us to enjoy. (More Diligent and Concerned at Home)

According to Brother Ridd's and Elder Bednar's talks, some of the small and simple things that we need to be intentionally doing are...

• remembering Jesus Christ

• praying (personal and family)

• studying the scriptures (personal and family)

• having family home evening

• expressing love and showing it

• bearing testimony and living it

I know that as I step back and think of the reasons why I’m doing something then my perspective changes and I have a renewed energy for the task at hand. I know that as we focus on being intentional in our efforts to become more like Jesus Christ that our enjoyment for life can increase. The mundane tasks we are asked to complete on a daily basis will have more purpose and meaning to them as we look for the real intent behind our all actions.