I’ve written about it before but since I often forget to stay focused, I will write about personal mission statements once again. Since most organizations and businesses have one, why not individuals?
What do I mean? It’s important to staying focused in life to have a personal mission statement which defines an individual’s basic purpose in life - especially in this information age where everyone and everything is trying to get our attention, time and usually our dollars. In other words, it can prove extremely beneficial to sit down and define one’s mission and purpose in life, set goals and objectives relating to that mission and then evaluate our lives and all we do in relation tothat mission and to those goals and objectives.
As I wrote last year, adopting a personal mission statement can keep one focused on what is truly important in life and turn away attention from other, often less important, matters. Life is short and, without staying focused, a person may one day have to say he did a lot of things, none of which have any lasting significance. I’d sure hate to come to the end of my life with an extensive knowledge of every television episode and no knowledge of what life is really about.
My personal mission statement is adopted straight out of the pages of the Bible, Jesus’ own words: “Going, then, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and ofthe Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you.....” (Matthew 28:19-20 LITV). Certainly, there are other good mission statements. The Bible is full of passages which would work well. How about Deuteronomy 6:4-5 or the last clause in Joshua 24:15? Others may choose to write their own statements.
My mission statement starts at home, with my own family, and then branches out into the world to those I know and to those I have never met and maybe never will in this life. It can be used to evaluate everything I do and will certainly affect the goals and objectives I set for my life.
For example, if I seek to disciple the nations for Jesus Christ by going, baptizing and teaching, I need to be a disciple of Jesus myself and that involves studying the Scriptures, praying and sharing what I have been taught from the Bible. That also means my objectives will include making time for study and prayer and alsofor going out and sharing. In line with that, one of my goals as a student of the Bible is to get back to being able to read and study the Scriptures in their original languages, which will require some dedication and persistence on my part in doing more and more studying in Greek and Hebrew again.
My mission statement will affect how I use and spend my income, what I do with my time and how I relate to others around me. That doesn’t mean I must take a vow of poverty or become a monk in a remote monastery and do nothing but pray and read from ancient parchments, but it means the focus of my use of time and money is going to be toward accomplishing my mission and purpose here in this world.
Yes, it can even affect such things as diet and exercise. No, I won’t become a bodybuilder or health freak who denies the truth of Genesis 3. But without a healthy diet and adequate exercise, I’ll have a hard time carrying out my mission, so dietand exercise are important. Perhaps, if I consider them in light of my mission statement, meeting those goals and objectives will become easier.
It is connected to my relationship with my wife and our children because discipleship starts at home and with those closest to us. My wife and I have more than a few children for whom we have much love and concern - 15 children between us, another adopted daughter and 14 grandchildren - and that is quite a mission field in itself.
We want the best for them all, but our foremost wish and desire is that they all know their Maker and Redeemer and live in fellowship with Him, both here in this world and in eternity. We live to impart to each of them a knowledge of the LORD God and of the salvation He has provided for them (and for all) through the innocent sufferings, death and resurrection of the Son, Jesus Christ.
That desire extends, of course, to our church andall its members, to those with whom we have contact in our jobs and to all the nations and peoples of this world. My prayer is that of the psalmist: “Now that I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not leave me until I have manifested Your strength to the generation, Your power to everyone who is to come” (Psalm 71:18 LITV).
Yes, I have gotten sidetracked at times - a lot more often than I care to admit - and the result is a lot of busyness and activity in things which really don’t matter much in the long run. For this, I’ve also repeatedly turned to Christ Jesus in repentance and received His forgiveness. Then, instead of continuing to dwell on weaknesses, failures and much wasted time and energy, I try to put that behind me and get focused again on what my true mission and purpose is in this world.
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by email at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 5 on 01/11/2012