What Is a Personal Mission?
Apr 23, 2024
It's more than a college major, more than a job and a career--though it can include these.
A Mission is a reason for existence that is driven more by IDENTITY (character/who you are) than by ability (skills/what you can do)--because what a person wants to DO in life is determined by who he/she wants to BE in life.
Students can begin to discover their personal mission with these questions:
- What do you believe?
- What is your definition of success?
- What kind of work inspires you?
- What life-giving activities do you enjoy?
- What strengths, skills & abilities has God entrusted to you to use?
- Who do you want to serve?
- What are your Core Values?
- What Defining Moments in your life story have shaped who you are?
➜ For more resources on answering these 8 critical questions, check out the Discover Your Personal Mission online course for middle and high schoolers.
Asking and answering one question at a time helps students to gain understanding and appreciation for the unique person that God has created them to be, resulting in more self-confidence and less comparison with others.
Students need to hear on a regular basis, "You are the good, purposeful, intentional work of God."
Don't compare yourself to other works of God (other people); grow in YOUR God-given personality, YOUR strengths, YOUR interests, YOUR abilities, YOUR inspirations, YOUR core values, YOUR transformative experiences (defining moments of your story), YOUR definition of "success."
These are all pointing to the person God is calling YOU to be. Your college major, your work, your actions, your choices are simply expressions and extensions of YOU.
This can sound self-centered, until we remember that Jesus came to serve, live and die for PEOPLE--not for life dreams, callings, and careers. We pursue dreams, callings, and careers to gain access to the *people* we want to serve. The work of God is saving and sanctifying *people.* What we're trying to do is glorify Him by aligning our service with His.
I tell students that the best way to prepare for the life that God has ordained for you is by developing YOU. Jesus died for YOU--not for your successful career.
When we are the kind of people who seek God FIRST, we'll discover "all these things" added unto us (Matthew 6:33)--food, clothing, college admissions, majors, degrees, internships, jobs...every need and opportunity that God knows we need.
Yes, asking and answering the 8 critical questions to discover your personal mission does benefit students by giving them a better sense of the college major, career, and good works that God has prepared beforehand for them to do--"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)
Middle school is not too early to ask the question, "What are the 'good works' that God has prepared beforehand for me to do?" (One of my 8th grade Mastermind members, after our discussion of Question 6--Who do you want to serve?--has decided that she wants to pursue law to become a Defense Attorney. She is aligning her high school classes and activities with this goal.)
Focusing on who we are is eternally more important than focusing on what work we do, because work does not give us meaning; we give work meaning--when we decide *how* we will work and *why* we will work.
WHO WE ARE TRANSFORMS OUR WORK.
Discovering your personal mission is a valuable process of discerning who you are aiming to become.
"Who am I aiming to become?"
It's an important question for everyone to ask at least once a year. Middle and high school are ideal years to begin asking this question.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our greatest mission in life is to continually develop ourselves into people who are willing and able to do the work that God calls us to do, both ordinary and extraordinary--for His glory and our good.
➜ For more resources for answering these 8 critical questions, check out the Discover Your Personal Mission online course for middle and high school students.
