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On Mission

Mar4

Several years ago, I helped edit a curriculum called “The Significant Woman.” One of the goals of this curriculum is to have you write a mission statement, so that you have a basis for doing the things you want to do or are asked to do by others. We all know that we can get sucked into a relentless schedule by filling it with everything anyone wants us to do.

Even though I did not actually go through this curriculum in the group the way it’s designed, because I edited it, I was aware of the principles. So I wrote my mission statement. Here it is:

To raise godly children in community with other believers; to enable others to communicate professionally and clearly by using my writing and editing skills; to support my husband in a way that makes him feel empowered and loved; and to glorify God and enjoy Him forever in the process.

It was only supposed to be one sentence, but, through the clever use of semi-colons, I was able to say what I wanted to. So now, I have a way to look at all my activities and see if they meet the goals of my mission statement.

1. Teaching 2nd grade at Trace Academy: This was a little hard to put into my mission statement, because I couldn’t exactly see how it fit. I just knew that it was what God wanted me to do. But then, as I looked again, I realized that my first clause says “to raise godly children.” It doesn’t say they have to be my children. I am so fulfilling that goal by helping to raise these 2nd graders in community with their parents and other believers. And everything I do in regards to that occupation is very fulfilling.

2. Copyediting Worldwide Challenge magazine: I have been involved with the magazine in one capacity or another for 26 years. Whereas my first love is writing, I am also detail oriented and qualified to answer most questions that come up regarding grammar and style in the articles we publish. What I do there definitely fulfills my mission statement as I use my writing and editing skills to help others communicate better.

3. Ferrying my children to their various activities: This is not just something I do because I’m a mom. We evaluate each activity our children are a part of and weigh it against our priority of having dinner together each night and having quality family time. We are teaching them the value of perseverance, health, exercise, sportsmanship, and everything else that goes along with being a part of tae kwon do, fencing, archery, horseback riding and the like. But it is still my responsibility to make sure that we, as a family, are not over stretching.

4. Running my household: This, of course, fits into my goal of loving and caring for my husband so that he feels empowered to do what he’s called to do. If I’m constantly gone or neglecting him and the household, then he is severely handicapped from doing his job. That’s not good.

5. Participating in spiritual activities: This category is probably the most nebulous, but if I am going to enjoy my relationship with God, I actually need to spend time with Him. Whether it’s going on retreats, participating in a home group through my church, reading, whatever, if it builds my relationship with God and allows me to love and serve Him better, then it is on mission.

Having a mission statement might seem like it puts a box around your life and constrains you, but it is actually very freeing. I know that each and every thing that I do fulfills what I see as my mission. I listen to the Holy Spirit, go where He wants me to go, and if something comes up that doesn’t seem to fit in with my purpose, then my agreeing to do it has to be a very clear directive from God.

I want to make a difference. I want my life to count. I want to be a significant woman. Weighing every opportunity against my God-ordained mission increases my chances of that being the case. I’m not just randomly doing whatever comes along.

Proverbs 16:3 says: “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

He calls me, He won’t let me fail. He always follows through.

Thankful today for:

78. hard decisions

79. lesson plans

80. a less stormy day than was predicted

Be Patient, God’s Not Finished With Me Yet

Feb28

It’s ironic to think that only when we die are we done. None of us reach perfection while we’re here on earth. The best we can hope for is strong character and what Peter talked about in his second letter: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Peter 1:5-9, New International Version).

I know I expect more out of my kids. They say to me, “You probably argued with your brother and sisters when you were a kid.” “You probably didn’t clean your room when you were a kid.”Image

Frankly, I have very little memory of my early interaction with my siblings, but I can’t really picture a dirty room in my head. I don’t remember being at odds with my brother and sisters much of the time. But even if I did experience those things, I didn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit helping me. My kids do.

How often do I tell them, “Treat others the way you want to be treated”? How frequently do I remind them, “They will know we are Christians by our love, one for another”? How many times do I say, “Do not repay evil for evil, but repay evil with good”? In one ear, out the other. That’s what it feels like.

So, I pray maturity comes before permanent damage is done. And I try to remember the grace God gives me on a daily basis as He refrains from reminding me to be patient, to not judge others, do be generous and open-hearted.

I’m not in such great shape myself. And so we can all benefit by wearing a button that says, “Be patient; God isn’t finished with me yet.”

Thankful today for:

63, the life of Martin Luther

64. my back porch

65. pink roses

Matters of the Heart

Feb26

20120226-104554.jpg
I have heart issues. It used to totally freak me out, but the more often it happens, and the more that tests show there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong, the less it disturbs me. But still, it is my heart, so I can’t help but be a little uneasy.

It used to be very infrequent, but ever since I fully entered that wonderful world known as menopause, it’s pretty much been routine when hormones surge.

It happened last night. I woke up at 3:25 a.m. with my heart out of rhythm. It would take a few normal beats, but then it would quiver and jump and beat erratically. This went on for about 45 minutes, which is a relatively short time comparatively. Usually I can fall asleep, and by the time I wake up again, it’s back to normal.

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. I kept thinking, I have to be up at 6 a.m. to sing with the worship team. I’ve got to be able to
sleep!

Heart issues. They’re disconcerting when they’re physical; would that they would keep us awake at night if they were issues of our spiritual heart.

God, break my heart with the things that break Yours.

Amen.

Thankful today for:

57. The ability to sing
58. Clean water
59. Church potlucks

Words Like Toothpaste

Feb23

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).

Have you ever tried to put toothpaste back in its tube? It’s not an easy task. Some might even find it impossible.

Harsh or cruel words are like that: once said, you can’t take them back. They are forever burned into the mind of
the hearer.

A child, once told by an unkind teacher that he is dumb, will keep those words in mind unless many, many more come along to say the opposite. I believe they call that a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Remember that old rhyme? “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Baloney! Words are extremely painful and destructive.

I hear the words in my classroom: It’s too hard! I can’t do it! I’m not as smart as everyone else!

Where do those thoughts come from? I know I haven’t told them that. And I personally know their 1st grade and kindergarten teachers, and I know they didn’t tell them that.

Who knows. It could have been some careless passing comment from a classmate or friend; but it’s the one that stuck.

I remember negative comments from very early in my life, but I can’t always draw upon the positive.

“The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4 NIV).

Words, like toothpaste, can do a lot of good. But squeezed out carelessly, they just make a big mess. And they can never be taken back.

Follow the Leader

Feb20

“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books” (2 Peter 1:5-9 MSG).

Some people think that once they have “asked Jesus into their heart,” that they’re done with their part of the bargain. They’re “saved” now and have that fire insurance. They think that’s all they needed to do.

Maybe that’s why so many people are turned off by Christianity: Christians don’t act much like Jesus.

Remember the childhood fame “Follow the Leader”? You had to do exactly what the leader was doing. Go where they went; hold your arms like they did; skip if they skipped. Do what they did. Act like they acted.

What a great idea. Let’s follow our Leader. I bet if we do, others will want to join us.

Today I’m thankful for:

39: a 3-day weekend

40: a son who likes to help cook

41: an approaching anniversary getaway with my love