What “Intentional” Looks Like

I was reading a magazine the other day when I reached a page that literally caught my breath in my throat and made me stop. From a publisher’s standpoint, it was probably the most insignificant page in the magazine; it probably caused the company a good bit of money, though, to include it. It had the fewest words of any in the issue, and there were no pictures or colors to make it stand out. Instead, its simplicity screamed for attention and, I dare say, made more of an impact on me than did any of the articles or stories.

A simple page, with only the words“This Panel Intentionally Left Blank” staring back at me….but it has stuck with me for days now.

This panel intentionally left blank.

Even more curiously, it was thicker paper than the rest of the magazine, so it was no doubt more expensive, and the reverse side had the same message:

I have a few guesses as to why that page might have been included in that way, but really, that’s not the point here. The point, to me, is that the page was left blank – where it could have been filled with clutter and pictures and ads and words and any of a number of things, it was blank. For all intents and purposes, the page appeared to be a waste.

Clearly, though, there was a reason for it. Publishing companies would not include a page like that (much less two pages like that) for no reason. To us, the readers, this is strange and unusual and a little confusing. We live in a world that crams as much as we can in the smallest spaces possible, and such an obvious misuse of space is mystifying to us.

There had to be a reason for it, though, even if those outside don’t know what it is.

To me, that speaks volumes about the way I strive to live. I want my entire life to be intentional – nothing wasted, nothing squandered, nothing taken for granted. This applies to many areas, of course, but is probably most evident in my time. I never want to drift through my days, allowing time to slip away with nothing to show for it. I never want to assume that certain things - like time with God and my family – will “just happen” if I don’t plan for them.

Living that way requires discipline and, yes, planning. As my pastor has been teaching us recently, it requires boundaries and a heart that is willing to say “no.” In a world where everyone is trying to do more, have more, be more – trying to cram all that we can into the 24 hours we’ve been given – an intentional life demands explanation.

An intentional life, though, is a life worth living.

That “intentionally blank” page in that magazine issued a serious challenge, whether or not the publishers know it or intended it to be that way. It challenged me to intentionally leave some of my time blank – reclaiming my Saturdays, for example – to use for the things that are really important to me. Most importantly, though, the intentional “misuse” of that page challenged me to live my life in a way that makes people wonder what I’m doing. I want my life to demand explanation. Can I challenge you to the same?