REFLECTIONS
July 30, 2006
 
 
Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD;
point out the right road for me to follow.
Psalms 25:4 NLT
 
 
Reason for Being
 
David had been in town at his new job for 52 days. He knew exactly how long it had been. He loves his new job, but his family has not moved with him yet and his new friendships are not well established. Except for his job, David is lonely.
We talked for over an hour about his work—the opportunities he sees and challenges he faces. He revealed a very good grasp of his job and the servant leader that he wants to be for the people that he supervises. And he wants to serve his new employer.
David is a well grounded man, but clearly he is still searching for answers. As our discussion was concluding, he looked at me and asked, “What advice would you have for a man in mid-life of his career?” I was both startled and honored by the question. This conversation was the first I had ever had with this man, yet he sought my counsel. Even as he struggled with his loneliness, David was reflecting on deeper questions of life.
As my mind raced to find a response for him, I remembered a time that I was asking the same question. I remembered the retreat I had with myself to think through my consulting business. I remembered answers unfolding as I thought about delivering value to people and organizations as a consultant and an advisor. Businesses use mission statements to clearly define their reason for being. And I remembered asking myself why a mission statement should not apply to a person? What is my personal mission in life? Why did God make me? What is my reason for being?
Many if not most people go through life questioning life’s purpose. God blessed us with a role in his plan for this world. We may never really know our reason for being, but a personal mission statement has added meaning to my own life. It has established a purpose for what I do and clarity as I face the choice of roads to follow.
A mission statement is more than crafting a nifty flow of words. It defines a reason for being. My mission developed from discovering recurring themes along the path God has already led me. As those themes became clearer, so did the road ahead.
I shared my story with David to encourage him to discover his own mission. I pray that the answer he finds will add meaning to his life. Even though my mission is to add meaning to every life I touch, I know that meaning will not be found in the mission.
Meaning is found when Christ is who the mission serves.
 
“You are the light of the world.”
Richard Ì

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