Seeing the big picture.

Recently I received advertising from the Daytimers company that showed an inscription on one of their products that said, "It's all about you, Del Wells!" It’s all about me? Is it really? What’s the implied message? It’s that I am so important that I have this company’s undivided attention and they will take great care of me. Yes, I do know that this marketing tool is very common in our consumer-first society, trying to make me respond positively to their sales pitch. But does this statement have any truth to it as it relates to the way I see the world around me? And if it does, is there anything wrong with thinking about myself first as I make my plans? What is the grid that I use to help me make choices? Do I have an overall goal for my life and who does it benefit? These are great questions.

My last LT insight encouraged you to create a personal mission statement to guide your life decisions with the overall goal of finishing strong at the end of your days. Let's look now at some of the benefits of having an overall purpose for your life and how to develop one.

A few years ago my wife Arlene and I went into a Sears store close to where we lived and she asked me if I had read the store's mission statement. Displayed prominently on the wall at eye level as we rode the escalator to the second floor, the sign stated, "Our mission is to be the centre of shopping for Lambton County". To the people and employees in that store, the company openly declared in writing why they existed. So whether or not Sears ever did become the county's main shopping centre, it did give every employee the measure the business was using to make decisions as they reached for their goals.

So what's the mission for your life? Overall, why do you think you are alive today? What is your long-term game plan? Is it all about you or are you giving yourself to a cause that is infinitely greater than that? Be honest. Do your personal ambitions drive your life purpose or does your mission shape your ambitions?

Often someone's life mission is unwritten but still obvious because it is the thing that influences every choice they make. Maybe it's to feel good about yourself or to be really well liked by others. Perhaps it's finding a fulfilling job or becoming independently wealthy or gaining the power to control any situation. These are fairly common pursuits but in the end are they worth giving your entire life to?

The Bible is helpful because it lets you to see the big picture for your life. You learn that meaning and purpose come through knowing why you do what you do. Your first priority is to turn from being inward-focused to becoming outward-focused. It is summed up in these words: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:31)

Talk about an all-encompassing purpose! "Whatever you do" includes everything. Every single part of your life is to count for God above all else. That is the perspective you are to use as you decide how to live well at home, work, school and play. Ask God and he will show you how every aspect of your life can be arranged to fit into this overall purpose. Why not take the time to get clear direction so that you can truly make your life count?

Here’s something you can pray right now to better see the big picture for your life:

"Dear Lord,
I acknowledge that you are the Creator and Sustainer of my life. I am reminded today and do affirm that you have a significant purpose for me, and that is to bring you glory. I thank you that I know you personally through faith in Jesus Christ. I pledge myself to keep growing in my knowledge of you by studying your word and praying continually. I ask your Holy Spirit to reveal to me and remind me of the destiny that you have marked out for me when I need to know it. I thank you that you have already given me everything I need to fulfill the purpose for my life. I commit to keeping my eyes on the big picture of what you are doing and how I can be a part. In everything that I say and do, may you be glorified. Amen"

DW

Some more about "Shadow Mission"

No, we're really not here to sell anything, but as I was getting my message ready, I realized that it wasn't my intention to plagiarize all of John Ortberg's ideas, to spend my time with you recapping his book or to really talk all about shadow missions. What I wanted to do was use the idea to launch some devotional thoughts for mother's about their missions. But, the stuff in this book was too good to not share so here's more about "Overcoming Your Shadow Mission" by John Ortberg if you want to jump on that train and take a ride. It will be worth your time.

Here are some quotes I found helpful from the book...
"[The story of Esther] tells us that our shadow missions have enormous destructive potential. The mission we devote ourselves to will shape us. Our unplanned, involuntary thoughts and wishes will spring out of it. Noble missions will give rise to noble thoughts, but shadow missions will produce an inner life of hidden darkness and destructive discontent. Shadow missions always destroy at least one person - the one who lives for them." (p.35)

"Our shadow mission leads us just five or ten degrees of our true path in the direction of selfishness or comfort or arrogance. But those few degrees, over time, become the difference between light and shadow."(p. 36)

"In the absence of good character, the giftedness of people will not be used well. The more gifted we are, the more arrogant and destructive we are apt to be." (p.43)

"Character formation is absolutely fundamental to our well-being, but it's not glamorous. So often - in our work, in our lives, even in our churches - we think, "Man, there's so much going on, we can't take the time to work on 'character'." The question really is: Who do we want to be? We can do really impressive-looking things, but what we take into eternity is who we become." (p.52)

"Character comes as a by-product of the pursuit of God and the kingdom of God." (p.53)

"While it's important to build your character and identify your shadow mission, in truth you need only one thing. Without this one thing you can name your shadow mission and claim it and battle it - and still lose. That one essential thing is a vision of God and the reality of His kingdom." (p.91)

[Overcoming Your Shadow Mission, John Ortberg, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008.]

Enjoy the next step in your journey,
TD


Want to buy this book? Check it out on Amazon.ca:
http://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Library-Overcoming-Shadow-Mission/dp/031028760X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272901167&sr=8-1


John does a bit of Q & A after his session at the 2007 LEAD Summit about shadow missions.

What's the plan?

So, what are you planning to do with the rest of your life?

Good question. I had been asking that of myself over recent years and the fact is that I didn't have a real good answer. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to do or I wasn't taking on and finishing projects of various sizes - that seemed to be the norm. Lack of busyness was not the problem because it seemed there was never enough time to do all that could have been done. Passion to excel at something significant was never in short supply for me. Needs to be met were always evident and growing by the day. The desire to please God through knowing, loving and serving him faithfully was ever present in my life. Yet I kept getting the sense that there was something else that I had been created and prepared by God to do, something defining to spend the rest of my life doing.

Have you ever felt that way? You enjoy what you do but you are not convinced that you are yet in full stride as you pursue your life's purpose? Perhaps you’re going ahead, but you still a little unsure of the ultimate goal? Many men and women have talked with me over time about whether or not their lives have made any difference in this world. They wonder, ‘Have I accomplished anything of real significance that will outlast me?’ I can relate to what they are asking because I've asked the same thing.

Not so long ago it came to me to consider not so much what I've done to this point but about how I want to finish. In some ways I wish I had thought of this when I was much younger, when I had my whole life ahead of me. To those of you in your early years, realize that it's not too soon to think about this and learn from the experiences of people you know that are farther along life’s path. Whatever your stage in life, it is well worth your while to ask the hard questions about your ultimate purpose so that you can finish your life strong with few regrets about what might have been.

So, where do you start? Several years ago I developed a personal purpose statement that was to be the overall measure and guide for what I did. Recently I went back to that statement and looked at what I had originally set out to do and asked myself if I had been successful or not with its mandate. To be honest, I was amazed at how much my life was reflected in this simple statement. It was actually encouraging to revisit the mission for my life and see the results of leaving a mark where I had been on purpose. Rather than feeling unfulfilled by giving myself to aimless pursuits, I felt a deep satisfaction that comes from completing something worthwhile. Without that mission statement I would not have had a credible reference tool to evaluate my progress.

I have recently updated my life mission statement to reflect what I hope to accomplish in the big scheme of things. When I get to the end, how will I finish? The questions that I’m asking are life-defining. What things will I leave behind me when I'm gone that will make an eternal impression? What things am I willing to give my life to that will influence others to spend their lives wisely and productively for Christ? Answer those questions and you will have a good foundation to build your own mission statement.

I hope that this insight has inspired you to consider the potential of your life to make a difference in the real world in which you live. I trust that you will ask God the tough questions and listen to his answers. I encourage you to develop a personal life mission that sets its sights on making an eternal impression for Christ in your everyday world from now to the moment you finish the journey.

DW