A Pilgrimage Fueled by Hope: Mission Statement
By Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. -Philippians 1:21 ESV
A mission statement that flows from a biblical worldview becomes a map that helps us stay on track or get back on track when life doesn’t turn out the way we expected. We have a friend who faces the recurrence of deadly cancer every minute. Every day they have to answer this question: Will I live life through the grid of worry and fear or through the grid of trusting God?
Another friend lost his beloved wife. Every morning he faces a choice: Will I grieve as one without hope or as one who knows that God is sovereign and I can trust Him?
A young mother of 4 children under six years of age learns she’s unexpectedly pregnant. This new life confronts her with a question: Do I welcome this child sent from the Lord or do I resent the extra responsibilities and disruption of our plans?
When facing physical limitations that will only worsen or a dead-end job with no way out; a difficult mother-in-law, a broken relationship with a child, or the death of a loved one, having a mission statement can remind us of our life purpose.
I’ve experienced the power of having a biblical mission statement when life took turns I did not expect. When I struggled to understand my purpose after the death of our son, my mission statement eventually reminded me no matter my circumstances, I still had work to do:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. -Matthew 6:33 ESV
A mission statement can help transform us from life-takers to life-givers. Each one of these examples I shared is true. Each person struggles every day to remember that he or she can be life-giving, in the way they live out their God-given purpose in the middle of circumstances they did not choose.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Do you have a mission statement you go to when well-laid plans don’t come to pass or when you watch your dreams shatter? What drives your everyday life? Where do you turn when you don’t know what to do? Pushing your tasks through the grid of your mission statement helps give purpose to otherwise mundane days. Intentionally living daily life through your mission statement strengthens spiritual muscles, so it becomes an auto-response to crisis. Pushing a shattered heart through the grid of your mission statement can breathe new life into a body struggling to breathe.
If you have a mission statement, take the time to review it to determine if you need to update it with a renewed desire to be a life-giver rather than a life-taker.
If you don’t have a mission statement, continue to prayerfully consider how your identity as a child of God shapes your purpose and how you will fulfill that purpose. Write out your thoughts in your journal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a nonprofit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, and fourteen grandchildren.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Thursday, 18 March 2021.
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