Mission/Vision 101

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” 

Joel Barker

Have you ever met a person with a successful business that started it without a business plan? Of course not!  Then the question begs to be asked, “Why would you start a family without a family plan?” This is seemingly our biggest responsibility, so why no plan?  In fact, I am a believer that family is God's strongest weapon to change this world. First, I want to lay some foundations before we get to the nitty gritty,  I encourage you to dive in, learn all you can, keep checking back for lots of new ideas and ways to propel this vision so that you can pass it on for generations to come.

A family vision/mission is there as a guide for you to measure your family against. A mission statement, for the most part, just states what you purpose to do. It is like a constitution. As you begin to write it out, I will let you know what it needs to include. Your vision statement shows a picture of how your life will look when you have accomplished your mission statement. It is a sentence that encapsulates your mission. There are more aspects to it than just a vision and mission statement. My blog will give you lots of info on many different things you can do and resources as well to help you on this exciting journey of building your family identity through team spirit.

In the Bible, we see that families passed on rituals, stories and traditions through generation after generation. The Rechabite family was a family that had followed the laws of their fathers for 200 years. They were to never to drink wine, build a house or buy land. They faithfully obeyed these commands of their fathers even though the people around them did differently. I would bet that they were isolated for their strange beliefs. However, when Jerusalem was ransacked by King Nebuchadnezzar, they simply folded up their tents and left Jerusalem all the while everyone else was taken captive. The laws that God gave their forefathers spared their very lives generations later. Obedience paid off. In fact, their family was saved not only from Babylon, but years earlier from the Assyrians for the same reason.

Knowing that the return of Jesus is close at hand, Christians don't value passing anything down. What if the Lord tarries 200-500 years? Have you prepared your family to pass down the laws of God to multiple generations? Most of us have not even given it thought. We just hope and pray that our children will all turn out. How short sighted we are!

If you can write a family vision and put down on paper the values that are most dear to your hearts, your children can memorize them and pass them down to future generations.

Our mission statement is finished and our children have memorized it. We also have our 100 family values written out.  My next action is to have them written on parchment paper and framed in our home. This is from now on a central topic in our home. We know God gave this as a vision of how our family is to look and He will make it a reality. Hab.2:2 says “I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting-it will happen! "

I can’t wait for each of you to discover God’s unique vision and mission for your family.

Blessings,

Turkana

NEXT UP: PRIORITY ONE