Your “Mission Statement”


The modern businessman recognizes his principle of taking time out for evaluation. The President of DuPont once said, “One minute spent in planning saves three or four minutes in execution.” Many salesmen have revolutionized their business and multiplied their profits by setting aside Friday afternoon to plan carefully the major activities for the coming week. If an executive is too busy to stop and plan, he may find himself replaced by another man who takes time to plan. If the Christian is too busy to stop, take spiritual inventory, and receive his assignments from God, he becomes a slave to the tyranny of the urgent. He may work day and night to achieve much that seems significant to himself and others, but he will not finish the work God has for him to do.

A quiet time of meditation and prayer at the start of the day refocuses our relationship with God. Recommit yourself to his will as you think of the hours that follow. In these unhurried moments list in order of priority the tasks to be done, taking into account commitments already made. A competent general always draws up his battle plan before he engages the enemy; he does not postpone basic decisions until the firing starts. But he is also prepared to change his plans if an emergency demands it. So try to implement the plans you have made before the day’s battle against the clock begins. But be open to any emergency interruption or unexpected person who may call.

You may also find it necessary to resist the temptation to accept an engagement when the invitation first comes over the telephone. No matter how clear the calendar may look at the moment, ask for a day or two to pray for guidance before committing yourself. Surprisingly the engagement often appears less imperative after the pleading voice has become silent. If you can withstand the urgency of the initial moment, you will be in a better position to weigh the cost and discern whether the task is God’s will for you.

In addition to your daily quiet time, set aside one hour a week for spiritual inventory. Write an evaluation of the past, record anything God may be teaching you, and plan objectives for the future. Also try to reserve most of one day each month for a similar inventory of longer range. Often you will fail. Ironically, the busier you get the more you need this time of inventory, but the less you seem to be able to take it. You become like the fanatic, who, when unsure of his direction, doubles his speed. And frenetic service for God can become an escape from God. But when you prayerfully take inventory and plan your days, it provides fresh perspective on your work.
 
But you can’t know how you’re doing until you know your mission. You can’t plan your day until you know what it is you’re trying to achieve.
 
For reasons that will rapidly become obvious you will need an “assistant” to read the next “section” for you. Don’t read it ahead, get an assistant, (maybe whomever is leading this study) – it will be worth it.

The Funeral
Close your eyes and imagine you’re at a funeral just a few years from now. Imagine the inside of the church, the mourners, the flowers, the “feel”. Imagine yourself walking up to the coffin. It’s an “open coffin” so you can view the body and say your goodbyes. You look inside and… it’s YOU! This is your funeral! Look around. Who is here? Who isn’t? Take a seat and listen to what people have to say.
 
The first “speaker” is someone from your family.
·      Who is it? What are they going to say about you? How does that make you feel? How do they feel about your passing?


 
The second is one of your friends.
·      Who is it? What are they going to say? How is everyone feeling now?


 
The third is one of your work colleagues.
·      Who did they choose? What are they saying about you? Is it all true?


 
And the fourth and final speaker is someone representing your church.
·      What are they saying about your contribution there? What are they saying about your spiritual life?


 
·      What do you WANT them to say about you at your real funeral? Your family? Your friends? Your work colleagues? Your church?


 
·      What do you want them to engrave on your headstone?


 
·      Does that mean you’re going to have to change?


 
Mission Statement
Your Mission Statement is basically a statement about how you want to live your life to achieve your aims, whatever they might be. It should say something about your character, (or at least the character you want to develop), something about your achievements, (what you actually want to do in your lifetime), and something about your values, your principles, what is important to you.
 
It should also be uniquely your statement too, and it should reflect your personality and your dreams.
 
The following exercises might help you define your mission statement. Do them on a blank sheet of paper. As you go you will gradually be able to define and redefine your mission statement.
 
·      What DO you want them to say at your funeral? And on your gravestone?


 
·      Define “successful” as you see it


 
·      What roles to you see yourself having in life?
      And can you rank them in some sort of priority order?
 


You might come up with things like wife, manager, father, pastor, cleaner, role model, mentor, disciple, servant, … it’s up to you.
 
Think about how you want to be seen in each of your roles. How will that affect how you deal with and interact with other people. Think about that for each role you mentioned.
 
·      What dreams do you have?


 
Be outrageous. Be daring. Dream big! Dreams are like goals that either you or other people see as unattainable. Let your imagination go wild. What if…
 
·      What goals do you have? Things to do, places to see, “milestones” to achieve in finances, life, sport, church, etc…


 
You might have goals like: “fly in space”, “travel to 7 continents”, “learn to cook”, “learn Spanish”, “raise my kids”, they might be big or small. Write them all down. As you refine your mission statement you might drop some off or add some on, but for now write down everything.
 
Now try to break your goals into short term (less than a year from now), medium term (up to 5 years from now) and long term (up to say, 20 or more years from now). And in each group, try to rank them in order of priority to you.
 
What are you going to have to be like to achieve those goals and dreams?
 
·      What character traits do you want to be remembered for?
Be specific. Things like: honour, integrity, sincerity, selfishness, lack of humour, hospitable, forgiving.
Most people would of course want all the good ones. But which ones do you specifically want to be “known for”


 
·      And what character traits do you specifically NOT want to be known for? Mention them in your mission statement too.
 


·      What drives you? Who or what is your “center”?


 
Some people are centered around their spouse or their kids. Their whole world revolves around them. Some people are self centered. Some live for the poor. Some live for God. Some live for money or power.

·      What do you think your center is now? What do you want your center to be?


 
·      What spiritual gifts and passions do you have?
 


·      How are they going to affect your mission statement?
How important are they to you? How much of who you are is bound up in them?


 
Now try to put all these ideas together into a brief “mission statement”. A statement of who you are, but also of who you want to become, what you want to achieve and why and how.
 
You’ll probably need another piece of paper for that. It will probably take several drafts before you get one you’re happy with.
 
Try to make sure you look at all aspects of your life: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, your relationships, character and achievements.
 
Finally, review and refine your mission statement regularly for a while, and then occasionally as required. Keep yourself focused on your mission. It will help you know what your priorities are and when to delegate, when to say “no”, and of course when to say “yes” even though it means sacrificing something else.


Conclusion
Over the years the greatest continuing struggle in the Christian life is the effort to make adequate time for daily waiting on God, weekly inventory, and monthly planning. Since this time for receiving marching orders is so important, Satan will do everything he can to squeeze it out. Yet we know from experience that only by this means can we escape the tyranny of the urgent. This is how Yeshua succeeded. He did not finish all the urgent tasks in Palestine or all the things he would have “liked” to do, but he did finish the work which God gave him to do. The only alternative to frustration is to be sure that we are doing what God wants. Nothing substitutes for knowing that this day, this hour, in this place we are doing the will of the Father. Then and only then can we think of all the other unfinished tasks with equanimity and leave them with God.

Sometime ago in Africa Simba bullets killed a young man, Dr. Paulus Carlson. In the providence of God his life’s work was finished. Most of us will live longer and die more quietly, but when the end comes, what could give us greater joy than being sure that we have finished the work God gave us to do? The grace of our Lord Yeshua Christ makes this fulfillment possible. He has promised deliverance from sin and the power to serve God in the tasks of his choice. The way is clear. If we continue in the word of our Lord, we are truly his disciples. And he will free us from the tyranny of the urgent, free us to do the important, which is the will of God.
 
It’s easy to get caught up in the rut of life and to lose track of our mission. It’s important that every now and then you get out that mission statement and rate yourself as to how you’re doing. Measure yourself against it and judge your own life. If you’re falling short, look for specific actions you can take to follow it more closely.
 
You’re on a mission. It’s from God. It’s specifically designed for you. Go do it. Or more importantly – Go BE it.