BY DAWN REED
In early 2019, someone in a Bible study encouraged me to write a mission statement. (It might have been Craig Groeschel or Lysa Terkeurst.)
A mission statement is typically for a business, church or ministry. It might sound silly that an individual would have one but it was a great idea for me. It was a great question for me, to be honest. What is my mission, my purpose?
Written on the back of a church bulletin dated Feb. 10, 2019, it is tucked in my Bible for frequent review. This is what I came up with: “To make Jesus known, through words-spoken and written, and love. To encourage others, especially women, to trust Him, study His Word and live for Him. To follow God’s leading-no regrets.”
I pondered it seriously this morning. It’s my 60th birthday.
Because I’m a task-oriented list maker, resolutions are a big thing for me. I make them each January. (They’re tucked in my Bible, too.) During summer vacation-the halfway mark of the year, as I’m relaxing on a beach somewhere, I ponder how the first half of the year has gone. Then, on the way home, I’m making plans for the next six months.
On my birthday, I take some extra time to examine where I am. What have I learned from God’s Word this past year of my life? What do I want or need to study? Am I serving the Lord with passion? Am I serving where I am supposed to? Am I leading others to Christ? Am I encouraging those around me?
So very blessed at 60 years old, I feel like King David who wrote, “Who am I Sovereign Lord…that You have brought me this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18).
I never pictured being this old. (Many of you might be older than me, but this is the oldest I’ve ever been.) Though I’m no spring chicken, it’s exciting to know that God still has a plan for me until my last breath. When I meet Jesus, I don’t want to have regrets.
The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 71:18: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare Your power to the next generation…” That verse pulses in my veins! Another favorite is Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you.” I’m living that out right now. There is definitely more gray and more to carry.
So there. You know my habit of doing a yearly/birthday personal evaluation. I am definitely a work in progress. What about you? Do you give yourself an annual examination? What is your mission? Your goal/purpose? It may be time for you to pick up a pen, scratch out a mission statement, and keep it in your Bible.