The phrase "mission statement" is a business-y term that can cause many people to roll their eyes--especially if they have had the experience of trying to write one in a group setting. It's usually full of big and/or flowery words and after awhile, most just sound the same.
Have you ever thought about writing a personal mission statement? We discussed this topic and were encouraged to write one at my Mom's Morning Out group at church two years ago. My mom had a personal mission statement when we were growing up, and she shared it with me when the topic came up. I was sorting/organizing some files on our computer tonight and came across the one I wrote at that time:
It is my mission to love and partner with my husband by encouraging and strengthening him using words of affirmation and joining with him in his mission and calling.
It is my mission to love and nurture my children by caring for their needs, being discerning with their wants and being available to foster the development their characters and souls.
It is my mission to be a loving and faithful friend by being a supportive listener and serving others with joy.
By fulfilling my mission I will be loving and honoring God.
I remember putting a lot of thought and effort into this exercise. It was a good reminder, because I feel this mission is still true today. It also comes at a time when I have been thinking a lot about my calling in life. Dave Bartlett recently gave a message about this entitled "Follow the Leader--Foundations of a Helping Life" featuring a Story of Faith by Ben & Liz Patterson. You can listen here (message on Feb. 6 on CF campus).
I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or examples of your personal mission statement or calling in life!
2 comments:
It's my mission to sell a lot of candy.
And to duck serious questions by using humor and sarcasm to mask the fact that if I sit down and think too hard about it, I'll be convicted in a way that I'm not prepared to deal with.
Thanks for the post.
Whew! This is a thought provoking post. I don't necessarily have a mission statement but I certainly have goals similar to the statements you shared. Perhpas if I wrote them down where I could see them ten I would do a better job of following them.
I often question what my role is in this world. I don't have an answer for myself. Maybe someday I'll figure it out.
Thanks for this post. It gives me a lot to think about
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