It’s the end of the year…the beginning of a new one. It’s the time of the year when market gurus know that organizational tools will sell as people resolve to do better. New year’s resolutions are less common than they once were, but it is still a good time to take stock of the previous year and what we would like to see in the new one. But, most of the time our thoughts are turned toward what we DID….how we are known. One excellent thing to think on is why we do what we do and how we do it….and maybe this is a good time to do that as well.
Most of us are known by what we do. I’m a wife…a mother of 10….I homeschool…etc. There are several ministries I enjoy doing: Sozo, intercession, teaching. Several months ago, I was challenged to think on why I do what I do. What motivates me? What is the passion that drives me? What is that burning within me that I long to bring into everything I do….every conversation in which I participate…..every relationship I share? What is it that brings tears to my eyes when I pray or worship? What is it that angers me the most when the enemy thwarts it?
I realize that our relationship with God motivates all of us, but He has placed within each of us a passion that echoes a passion of His. He has given us a new heart….a heart that breaks for some things that break His. Our hearts cannot break for everything that breaks His, so each of us has different things that have that effect on us. We all have several things that we are passionate about….that burn within us…but often one will take precedent. One passion is all-consuming.
After spending some time in prayer, I knew what I was most passionate about…the very thing that drives me…..the ‘why’ of my actions:
I believe God wants His creation to know how passionately He loves them, how relentlessly He pursues them, how earnestly He desires a relationship with them. And that all they do must flow from that relationship rather than to prove it.
I want everyone I meet to know this truth deep within themselves….not just in their heads. I ache for those who are still uncertain…still longing to really know His love. This passion drives whatever ministry I am a part of…..it influences every relationship I have. When I realize that for some people I am the only example they have of His love….it affects how I treat them. Being right, defending myself, debating do not fit within this passion…so they must go. When I mess up, it violates this very core of who I am and what motivates me.
After determining the why, the next step was determining the ‘how’. What vital things must be part of what I do? My motivation is clear….but what are my core values in fulfilling it? The speaker set a number: 7. So, what are my 7 core values that must be present in what I do?
Again, after a time of prayer, I listed my 7 core values:
Biblical: Whatever I do must have biblical principles as its foundation. It must not violate Scripture in any way. Biblical truth must be an integral part of it.
Relational: Whatever I do must involve people and relationships. It must build relationship…either horizontally or vertically. It must be in a manner that goes beyond superficiality. It must be able to meet their needs, answer their cries, and heal their wounds.
Freedom: Whatever I do must be liberating, open blinded eyes, set prisoners free, release captives despite the form of bondage that traps them.
Supernatural: Whatever I do must be beyond what I can do in my own strength….beyond my natural capabilities. While I realize that any gift, talent or strength I have is by God’s grace, it must involve more than that. It must be more than what an atheist could do.
Grace: Whatever I do must rely heavily on God’s grace….within me and poured out on those I meet. It must involve seeing others through grace-filled eyes and allowing His grace to transform them in His time.
Investing: Whatever I do must involve an investment into the life of another. That means sacrifice, giving and seeding into the lives of others. This does not mean I must see the results, just that I invest in such a way to make it possible for that person to bear fruit.
Honor: In whatever I do, I must honor the person for who they are. This involves seeing them more as a person than a project. It means allowing them the benefit of the doubt. It means my own agenda must take a back seat in every relationship….what I want to see happen in their lives does not need to happen for that relationship to continue.
Now, the ‘what’. This is what we spend our lives doing. It’s how we are known by those around us. It’s the things we participate in. So, after articulating the why and how, I was able to take a look at the what and see if it lines up with the why and the how. I was amazed! Those things I do that strengthen me no matter how much time or effort is expended fit perfectly within the why and the how. They actually give me strength! Those things that drain me don’t fit so well.
Try it. As you take stock of your life here at the end of this year, ask God about the ‘why’ in your life. Think about the core values that are so important to you-your ‘how’. And, then check out the ‘what’. You may be amazed as well!