Women can have mid-life crises, too, you know.
We can look back and wonder...did any of my life really matter? Am I on the right track? Am I making any sort of difference?
I am a wife, a mother, and a busy homeschooler. All of these roles are very fulfilling, and of course, I don't want to stop being any of them.
But, there's something that needs to take precedence over them all. Something that would bind them all together for a greater purpose. Something that would help me create priorities within my day for all the activities that need to get done and others that can be left undone:
A mission.
Not just a mission statement that will be thrown into a drawer and forgotten, but something that is so engrained in me that it is a part of who I am and who I was made to be.
I want my mission to be real. I want it to be life-changing for me and others. I want it to matter for now and eternity.
The best example I can think of is that of Christ Jesus.
He lived His entire life knowing His
{One Mission}
given by God Himself.
He knew that {One Mission} was of the
utmost importance,
And, if He didn't complete it,
All mankind would perish.
That {One Mission} was to willingly
Lay down His life and die a sinner's death, even though He never did anything wrong!
Rather than foreiting and giving up on us,
He was willing, even joyful to lay His life down,
Knowing that He would be saving the lives of many,
So many that they would outnumber the stars in the heavens...
Do you think it was worth it?
Do think we were worth it?
Jesus thought so.
This is the gospel.
This is why we live for Him.
Because He died for us.
Marco Palmezzano, Crocifissione Degli, Uffizi, www.wikipedia.com
And, He asks us to follow Him.
To live the crucified life.
What does it mean to live the "crucified life", you may ask.
I'm still figuring that out myself, day by day, moment by moment.
But, it helps to put our lives into the same perspective, to have the same mind as Christ.
He knew He had
{One Mission}
The same is true for us.
Knowing our {One Mission} is the basis for all other acts that truly matter in our life.
When trying to figure out our life decisions, our plans, our itineraries,
Unless it is in-sync with our {One Mission},
We don't need to do it.
And, we don't need to feel guilty about saying no.
I'm preaching this to myself here...
you can say no.
Some people may not like it.
But, that's okay.
Once you know your {One Mission}, then you can live for the joy and delight of the Lord and not worry about what others think of you.
You can lay down that heavy people-pleasing burden that has been giving you a pain in the neck and trade it in for one that is easy and light (Matthew 11:28).
Living in light of the {One Mission} is excruciatingly hard and painful at times, but
It is the joy and delight of our heavenly Father that gives us the perseverance to finish the race.
So, how do I find out what is my {One Mission} is, you may ask.
Well, it's different for everyone.
To find out what it is takes searching...
He leaves us lots of clues in His Word, the Bible.
And, in our life story--not the cleaned up, shareable one, but the not so pretty, painful one that we have hidden in our heart.
I'm just now finding this out for myself, and despite the pain, it's true, His joy makes it easier than I thought it would be, His delight makes the burden bearable.
Leonardo di Vinci, Heart and its Blood Vessels, www.wikipedia.com
Finding out our {One Mission} is a work in itself, and some people die never knowing it.
But, God wants us to know.
If we don't know, He says we can ask Him. (James 1:5)
Sharing our real life story in community with other trustworthy people who love Jesus, and asking them if they see a common thread in it all can help us, too.
That common thread, theme, or pattern will lead us to what is the {One Mission} of our lives.
And, you don't want to miss it.
If you find it, then you're on your Way.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
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