Do You Have a Personal Mission Statement?

I have carried around a personal vision statement in my wallet for probably close to 15 years now.  It began as a small group exercise, and I remember seeing some group members’ statements – about a page long each and very impressive.  I felt that mine was a bit inadequate by comparison like the school kid who completed the minimum requirements of the assignment only to find that the rest of the class had gone above and beyond.  However, in this case, I wonder how many of those folks ever really centered their lives around those elaborate statements.  My personal mission statement, based on my “life verse,” John 10:10,  reads simply: “To live and model the abundant life available in Christ Jesus.”  Successes and failures, victories and struggles, easy times and hard times – they are all run through this filter.  I can evaluate every part of my life by how it stacks up to this statement.

I was blessed with a copy of the book Raising a Modern-Day Knight (by Robert Lewis) when my son Garrett was a baby.  Using the principles from the book, I had a manhood ceremony for him when he turned 13 and included godly men who had influence in his life.  Each one spoke to him from the following principles, which have become guiding statements (even if Dad-imposed) in his life:

• A real man rejects passivity.
• A real man leads courageously.
• A real man accepts responsibility.
• A real man expects the greater reward, God’s reward.

These statements have given me a foundation from which to teach him life principles.  These principles are springboards for both praise and correction in his life.  (And they seem to work much better than a generic “Do the right thing” or something like that.)

Jesus had a mission statement. Luke records it in chapter 4.  After Jesus has begun his ministry in Galilee, he returned to his hometown of Nazareth.  Let’s pick up in Luke’s narrative in verse 16 (HCSB):

He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place* where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.  And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”  Luke 4:16-21 (HCSB)
*Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus specifically said that he came for the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.  Now, there are obviously some spiritual connotations to those for whom Jesus came I had nothing to offer God that He needed – I was poor.  I couldn’t get to God because of my sin – I was a captive to it.  I couldn’t see my need for God because the enemy kept me from seeing my need – I was blind.  I was beginning to suffer the consequences for my sin – I was oppressed.

However, these weren’t just spiritual analogies Jesus was making.  Look at who the better part of His ministry was aimed toward: the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.  Among these were children, widows, the sick, demoniacs, the lame, beggars, and so on.  If you take a look at Jesus’ mission statement and then look at how He lived it out, you see a life of practical expressions of deeper spiritual truths.  (Important note: These practical expressions of Christ were accompanied by His words that drew people to Him.  We should not expect people to understand the gospel just through our good deeds; those deeds must be joined with something truly life-changing, the gospel of Christ.)

I listened last week to a friend of mine speaking at a gathering of churches doing some type of orphan care ministry.  Chris had for some time been visiting nursing homes on alternating weekends and mentoring emotionally and behaviorally troubled young men on the other weekends.  When asked why he did this, he simply responded by pointing to the Bible and saying, “It’s in there, right?”  A life vision with practical expressions, based on the Word -- it's a beautiful thing!

Do you have a personal mission statement?  It can give your life a center that you can verbalize.  Jesus had one.  Follow His example and base yours on the Word of God.  I would be interested to hear your personal vision statements.  Your sharing may help someone else develop his or hers, so please share!

Thanks for reading,
Al