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February 18, 2013 · 6:00 am

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?

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Filed under The Christian Walk

Tagged as Calm My Anxious Heart, challenge, Jesus, life verse, Linda Dillow, purpose

January 14, 2013 · 9:30 am

Going Beyond Forgiveness

There’s a person in my life who makes me feel like I’m on a constant roller coaster.

I never know where I stand with her. Sometimes I think we’re friends and then she’ll let me know in no uncertain terms that we are not. Followed shortly by a bought of close “friendship.” Followed by me finding myself in the dog house. Followed by her friendship. Dog house. Friendship. Dog house. Vicious cycle.

I find the entire thing very difficult to bear, especially because I’m the innocent bystander. This person holds a grudge like I have never seen in my life, and has often complained to me about the wrongs done to her by others– wrongs she’s stated that she will never, ever forgive.

This person is a born-again, God fearing, Bible believing Christian. Who refuses to forgive.

I’m certain I’m on her list of “unforgivables” for at least one thing or two, and I don’t even know what I’ve done.

I’ve been reading through the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow and its brilliance has blinded me.

In the chapter on forgiveness, she points out that unforgiveness breeds the seeds of bitterness. She goes on to say that those who refuse to forgive will suffer, as per the parable Jesus told in Matthew 18:23-35 about the man who refused to forgive the debtor as the king forgave him, and he was sent to the torture chamber.

If we refuse to forgive, we will suffer the torture of our own bitterness, eating us up inside, destroying us from the inside out. Jesus told us so.

As I read through this chapter, I thought of my friend. But I also came to realize that I needed to forgive. I need to make sure I’ve forgiven her for all of the times she’s hurt me with the pendulum swings of her emotions and unforgiveness.

But I have to go beyond making the choice to forgive (and yes it is a choice, because we don’t often want to).

Linda poses this question in her book– what have you done to show that you’ve forgiven?

This question hit me square in the chest. It’s one thing to forgive someone within yourself. It’s an entirely other thing to make the choice to show, through action, that you’ve forgiven.

And this forgiveness should apply to everyone– your spouse, friends, family members, acquaintances, neighbors…

Some people think, “I’ll forgive, but I’m going to cut that person out of my life.”

But what of the example of Christ? How many times did the disciples disappoint him? When they fell asleep in the garden when he needed them. When he was betrayed. When they acted out of fear. Etc., etc., etc.

But Jesus always forgave. And beyond that, he showed them love. He didn’t cut the people who had wronged him from his life–just the opposite. Jesus reached out to those who had wronged him and chose to show love through his actions.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:9-10,14,18

This is what we are commanded to do.

Go beyond the forgiveness. Make a conscious choice to forgive, over and over and over with the same person if necessary, and make a choice to deliberately and intentionally show love through action.

This is how we grow in Christ, and this is how we truly mirror him and reflect the spirit within us.

Share with me: Can you think of a time when someone forgave you and went beyond the forgiveness to show you love?