The Mission Principle – “I was made for more, I was raised for more and I have been hardened for more… Service”
We are a culture rooted in Greek civilization. Which is at its base, a conquer society. Conquer the next promotion, conquer the next opportunity, the next relationship, the next competitor, etc, etc. Leg up, climb the ladder, there is only room for one. Sadly, it doesn’t leave much room for anyone else, and forget helping others. Our world is largely, lost.
Personally, I succumb to the “I want to be best” thing quite a bit. But fortunately it hasn’t really hurt me or someone because my sole proprietor nature keeps me from impacting anyone too directly thank goodness. However, the problem is that we impact ourselves. Every time we take a bend towards conquering, we end up nicking away a bit of that servant heart that we should possess.
You were made to serve. Try it, and tell me that I’m wrong. You were raised to serve. It is a funny thing, but we all have different childhood stories of our parents, our upbringing, and what it was like. Yet every one of them prepared you to serve. Either you did, out of anger or love, or you didn’t ever, and your heart will gravitate towards service because it needs it.
I was forced to serve my parents. Get the forced to? Many if us feel that way, that we were forced to. But the reality is that we should out of love, and those who align themselves with my statement of “forced”, much like myself, we’re serving out of anger. Funny, I think this group sometimes makes the most joyful servants.
So I imagine we all have stories of hardening. I was hardened for more service. Huh? Most of our hard life stories might conjure up thoughts of deserving greater opportunity, deserving a grander place of existence. But those times where we were hardened by difficult times, we built a heart that knows the difficulty of life. If we use it to filter life through the “oh, woe is me lens”, then we will surely fail to achieve what we are meant to… learning, which leads to wisdom.
But if we view it through the “count it all as joy” lens, the lens of, “I am better because life is harder”, then we will come out at the other end of ALL hardships, all of them, more ready and willing to serve. To help others through their trials. I sometimes have had people tell me that when I went through the loss of my sight in my left eye, that I had incredible faith.
I appreciate those comments, but if we stop and look at the story that was written on my life at the time… I had it made! Families showed up to visit, bring dinners, lunches, breakfast. Support showed up at the office to adjust patients. My parents came down and spent a week with me, and my neighbors pitched in and paid to have my yard taken care of for several months. It was awesome!
My point, I was cognizant enough to know that through my hardship, people showed up, and they poured out. Because they had been hardened by life too, raised, and created to serve. And there they were, serving.
So the Mission Principle. basically it is the key to a mission that will align with your purpose. The purpose driven life has sold more copies than people. Well, perhaps not, but it flew off the shelves. Why? Because it is that interesting to everyone, at some point. The idea that you have a purpose. So if you are making a mission for yourself, it better align with God’s purpose for yourself.
One of the most impactful components to any mission, is the need to serve others. A mission that is from God, will put others first. And this is the ultimate principle as it relates to creating a mission.
“To change the way the world perceives health while showing honor and respect to God and my Family.” Mine hasn’t changed in a decade.
The Mission Principle is found in the 60 Day Turnaround, book forthcoming, and though I might have said it this way in my book, I am humbly reminded that writing this down really has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with God.
I pray that at the end of this Memorial Day weekend, you are moved by the idea of a mission. We always said Be The Mission, in our Body By God 40 Day Challenge (back in the day)… I think its time to say it again. Be The Mission!
Be well and be blessed! – Dr. E