Ephesians 5:15-16
“Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. Don’t be vague but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of God.”
Like many of you, there are times when I run out of day before I run out of work. As an organized, task-oriented person, I can sometimes fall into the trap of being bothered when the day ends before all the tasks are successfully crossed off the list. No longer the perfectionist, I am now content to look at what I DID accomplish rather than what I didn’t. If you struggle with never having enough time to get everything done, and what your true purpose is, the problem could be one of three issues: you are doing too much; you are doing the wrong things; you are doing the right things the wrong way.
We have already identified WHO we are in Christ; now let’s Identify WHAT God has called us to do. This is the key element to having a vision for writing a clear and concise mission statement. Rebecca Gates in her book, The Beauty of a Disciplined Life, states this: “A written statement of life purpose is like a lighthouse toward which you can direct your goals and actions. It will keep your life from becoming fragmented and cluttered by unimportant and unrelated efforts.” Our action plan for determining our mission is to determine our purpose in life in light of God’s calling—what He has created us to do—and then prioritize and set our goals and actions.
The first step is to take a spiritual gifts test to determine how the Holy Spirit has gifted us and what are our strengths and weaknesses. Most churches have materials to guide one in the process. The next step is to pray and study the scriptures to select a “life” verse. A life verse often speaks to the heart of what God created us to do with the spiritual gift(s) He has given us.
In Part One of this series, I shared my own mission statement and how it ties into my primary spiritual gift of hospitality. My husband is a prophet—one who sees things in black or white and has a God-given ability to sense when Truth has been compromised. Let’s look at his life verse and how he tied it into his mission statement: “As a Christ-follower, I believe ‘we must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away’ (Heb. 2:1) and with that in mind and with the Holy Spirit’s help, my mission is to stay the course and cross the finish line of life, enthusiastically proclaiming the Truth all the way.” He has declared WHO he is in Christ, WHAT he has been called and gifted to do, WHERE he is going, and HOW and WHEN he is getting there.
Putting a mission statement on paper is a process and will take time as one begins to bring into focus strengths, gifts, talents and passions. When the process is complete, a mission statement will help us in these ways:
• to be guided by our principles and beliefs
• to give us focus and clarity to stay on course
• to enable us to invest wisely with our time, energy and resources
• to remind us to look back to see what God has done
• to give us hope for the future even when we can’t see the end
Lord, we ask that You guide us in this process of defining the mission You have created us to fulfill here on earth. Inspire and guide us by Your Holy Spirit to complete the process of writing our mission statement and may it be used to help direct us in making the most of our gifts to impact the lives of others and to glorify You. For it’s in Your name and for Your sake we pray, Amen.
~ painting by William Henry Margetson
