MY MISSION STATEMENT

To Proclaim the Goodness of God

Enough is Enough!

Enough of the procrastinating! Time to get my little ostrich head out of the sand and stand up! Enough of ignoring the call to be brave and to stand up for what I believe!

Question: Have you come to a place where your heart is crying out, “Enough is enough?” Is it time for you to stop procrastinating and take a stand to face that thing that is smoldering in your heart?

I’m going to go way out on a limb here and guess that your excuses for procrastinating may sound something like this: “I’m too busy. I am not equipped. I’m too tired. No one cares about what I think.” Or we may have an excuse like Gideon when he was called to fight the Midianites. He said in so many words, “I am just not enough.” (Judges 6:15) But, what does God say about us? Doesn’t he promise to give us whatever we need to equip us for his good purposes? I believe he will, but it may not be easy to stand up and be brave enough to step out in faith and take those “baby steps toward the goal.

The challenge for me is to write something every day. That’s my baby step. And then, if I could publish one post on my blog every two weeks, that would be my goal.

I admit it, I need lots of encouragement to keep pursuing my goals, and the scriptures never let me down. The words of the wise always set me in the right direction. I found this passage that has helped me and might encourage you as well. From 2 Timothy 1:6, “Because of the faith within, and for this reason, I am reminded to kindle afresh the gift which was given to me.” (Personalize) The Passion Translation uses words such as “fan into flame” as well as rekindling. Both of these passages denote an element of passion. But as writers can tell you, their passion is usually there, but quite often something can block their creative juices from flowing. This always puzzles me.

Maybe some of you don’t know that I have been housebound for about 3 years due to an injury and constant balance and muscle issues which cause me to fall a lot, and then in the middle of this I was diagnosed with breast cancer which involved a mastectomy and radiation treatment. For several months afterward, I had harsh drug therapy only to find out that I could not tolerate the drugs. So, I go to physical therapy biweekly, exercise at home and pray for NO MORE FALLS. I have fallen onto our tile floor at least 10 times.

But, enough about me, we all have our own challenges. And whatever you may be going through, I feel for you, sister. Life surely has its ups and downs; we feel like we take one step forward and two steps back. If we are not careful, we could get so overwhelmed with the downers in life that we might begin to wonder just where is Jesus in all this. Where did my joy go; am I losing my passion for life?

Mom Walton from The Waltons TV show had some advice for us in times like this. She said, “No matter what problems you have or think you have, you will find your answer in prayer.” As I’ve been praying about my passion, or lack thereof, I felt like the Spirit was asking me, “What bothers you so much that it keeps you awake at night? What breaks your heart that breaks the heart of God? What is your Holy-discontent?” (Bill Hybels)

There are so many things out there that really disturb me, and I constantly need to turn them over to God. We do live in a fallen world, and there is no way we can escape the problems that come from it, but of one thing I am sure: GOD IS NOT THE CAUSE OF OUR PROBLEMS; he is the DELIVERER from them. He is “our ever-present help in the time of need.” (Psalm 46:1-3) He is the Good Shepherd who will meet us in the midst of our pain and lead us “by the still waters and to mercy.” (From Grace is Enough by Chris Tomlin) There are so many people who need to know that GOD IS GOOD. They may have a head knowledge of this, but do they really believe it? So many in this world see God as an angry and punishing God. But God poured all of his wrath on Jesus at the cross, redeemed us from the curse of the law and showered us with his mercy and grace.

I love this quote by Liz Curtiz Higgs, “No wonder we find it so hard to forgive ourselves…we’re thinking punishment; God is thinking Christmas.” (“Embrace Grace,” Waterbrook Press, July 2009)

Have you thought this way at some time? “It seems that there is nothing but bad news out there.” People are seemingly more self-centered, unkind and downright evil; they are wondering where is God, and why doesn’t he do something about this. Many women that I have talked with have told me that they walk around feeling like there is a bullseye on their back and they are just waiting for the next attack to come. I get it; honestly, I have felt like that way too often. We have been blindsided, but not by God. He is the perfect father. He is not like the passive father who shows very little interest in his children; he wants to lavish you with his love, nor is he an abusive father who hurls attacks at us just to teach us a lesson. He knows that forgiveness, mercy and the power of his grace are better motivators for real heart change. “It’s his goodness that leads us to repentance.” (Romans 2:4)

So, I ask myself, “Why do I think I need a mission statement; it’s not like I run a business or anything like that?’ The answer is that God has given us all one, whether we realize it or not. What we all need is focus, purpose and direction, passion and confidence, significance, safety, and satisfaction. But, what we need to know most of all is that GOD IS GOOD, and he has a SCANDALOUS LOVE for us.

I believe that it says in the Westminster Catechism that the chief end of man is that we glorify God and enjoy him forever. I see this as the mission of every believer. But, that’s pretty hard to do when we don’t trust him or find that spending time with him is just another thing on our plate. The way I understand that to glorify God, we actually reflect to others in some way the image or character of God. (His Love) This is more than just having good behavior, because even an unbeliever can exhibit good behavior by just being obedient to a set of laws or in doing good deeds. But there is more to it than that.

Many believers think that all they have to do is to try their best to be obedient to the commandments that are in the Bible. NEWS FLASH! There is no one who was ever capable of doing that, except Jesus, of course. It is only by his power working in us that we are able to reflect anything admirable. Jesus said, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away the Helper (Comforter) will not come to you.” (John 16:7) As believers we have the righteous of God, a new heart and a new spirit and a resurrection power to change us. (2 Cor. 5:21, Ez. 36:26-27) It is the mystery of the ages, Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

Jesus had a mission statement; when put in words it could fill a book. Oh, that’s right, that book has been written; I believe it is called the B-I-B-L-E. Check out Isaiah 61 to see his prophetic mission statement and then check out Luke 4:18-21 to hear him say that this prophecy had been fulfilled. Then go to the cross by looking at John 19:28-30 where he finished his work and said, “It is finished.” He died for us, becoming Sin for us, taking all of God’s wrath upon him, so that our sins could be forgiven and we be made new. (See 1 John 2:2) You can find Jesus on every page of the Bible if you look for him.

The apostle Paul also had a mission statement. I believe that I found it in Colossians 1:28-29. Would you agree? “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose, also, I labor striving according to His power which mightily works within me.”

Question: Do you have a mission statement? Have you asked God to reveal this to you?

There’s no doubt that you have a great mission in your life. I guarantee that God has not given you a “Mission Impossible,” but it is one that will stretch you, challenge you, and bless you and so many others in ways you cannot even imagine.

Jesus has given us a secret ingredient to making all of our missions work. In John 13;34 he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” So, my last question to you is this, how has he loved you? Meditate on his goodness and his scandalous love for you every day, and see if this does not “fan into flame” that passion of yours that is burning in your heart.