Making Your Purpose Your Mission

What’s your mission in life? What’s your goal?

Is your goal clear to you, or like the photo above, is it sort of a general idea with tatters and tears, barely fitting with your life except when you stretch it to accommodate your circumstances?

What is your purpose?

In answering that question, many people might jump straight to what they can accomplish.

I’m a teacher. I’m a doctor. I’m a lawyer. I’m a writer. I’m a parent. I’m a preacher. I’m going to do something that contributes to society.

What is your purpose? Is it who you are or is it what you do?

Your life’s purpose goes deeper. The meaning is more.

Like many, I have a favorite Bible verse. Others have a “life verse.” Do you? How does your life verse relate to your purpose?

Your purpose should be grounded in Christ. It might be best explained through scripture. It might be explained through a statement or a prayer. It might be explained through an experience.

Can you write your life’s purpose as a mission statement?

Linda Dillow has once again encouraged me to think deeper in her book, Calm My Anxious Heart. She challenges me by telling the stories of several women who have found and described their purpose.

Dillow gives the example of Phyllis, who’s life verse is Philippians 3:10–

For my determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly… (AMP)

Phyllis once thought that perhaps her children were her purpose, but “I realized that my children are my platform, not my purpose.”

From her life verse, Phyllis developed a purpose that consists of four words: purposefully, faithfully, creatively and paradoxically. She then wrote out her life’s purpose, explaining each of these four words, like a mission statement for daily living.

What is your purpose?

I thought my life’s purpose was to raise children to love and follow Jesus Christ, and to spread the gospel of Christ myself.

I realize now that my purpose can go deeper and cover more and even challenge me.

I’m currently working on detailing my purpose in written form as a mission statement for daily living in all situations and I hope to post it here soon.

I challenge you to do the same.

If you’ve already written out your life’s purpose, would you share in the comments?

Share with me: Do you know your life’s purpose? Do you have a life verse? If so, have you ever written a “mission statement” type purpose?