I’ve been thinking a lot about goals lately, and how to make certain we accomplish all we can for Christ during our time here on earth. So many things beg for our time and attention that it is all too easy to become distracted and pulled off mission. Harder still to remain focused if we have never defined our purpose and goals. I encourage everyone to develop a mission statement as well as some life goals for themselves.
Many find developing a mission statement a daunting process, but in reality a mission statement is easy to create, and then can be tweaked as you grow throughout your life. In determining your mission statement, take a look at what Christ taught us. He said to love Him with all your soul, all your heart, all your mind. He said to love your neighbors in the same way. How will you incorporate those concepts into your life? Write down a couple of quick sentences that describe what your life would look like if you embodied those principles. When you do so, always write in the present tense as if you had already become that person and were already living out those commandments. An example might look something like, “I put Christ first in everything I do. I don’t speak or act without consulting Him first. I seek to serve and love everyone with whom I come into contact.” Make the thoughts your own; what would it look like if you loved God with all your heart and soul?
Another concept we find in scripture is to care for the orphans and widows among us. While this certainly falls under loving your neighbor, perhaps your mission statement would contain something specific regarding this example of true religion. “I will share all I have with the poor and hungry around me. I will open my home to those who have none.” Hopefully you start to get the idea by now. Pull out concepts from Scripture that you want to exemplify with your life. Write statements about how you will handle money and time, how you will care for others, how you will honor God and the way you will treat your family. You can incorporate priorities into the statement as well.
Don’t worry about getting your mission statement perfect the first time through. The goal here is to simply get your ideas on paper. You can refine, tweak, edit and rewrite later. Do set a deadline however, as it is very important to complete the mission statement as soon as possible. The sooner you define your mission, the sooner you can be about completing it!
In addition to your personal mission statement, I believe it is a good idea to have a family mission statement if you’re married, or have children or other family members in your household. Be certain to include those living with you in the process. Ideally, everyone in the household would first develop their own mission statements, and then you can bring them all together to create the family mission statement.
A mission statement can direct your actions and thoughts when times get confusing. When you aren’t sure about something, refer back to your mission statement to determine how you should respond. Roy Disney once said, “When values are clear, decision making is easy.” Define your mission, clarify your values and see how much simpler decision making becomes. I encourage you to get started this week. What is your mission in life? What has Christ shown you that it should be? Prayerfully see His wisdom in determining how He would have you to live.