When Matt and I first started talking about the vision for Making Home Here, we felt like it was important to first come up with a family mission statement, and then put our attention toward a blog mission statement.
Having a family mission statement gives a big-picture focus to all of the day-to-day tasks and teachable moments of parenting. There will be plenty of days when we don’t get it all right as parents, but if our focus is on what’s most important, and our kids grow up living out what we have called our “mission” for our family, then the days spent working on eating well-balanced meals and making it to the potty on time won’t feel nearly as important. 😉
Matt and I wanted our family mission statement to be short and simple, focusing on what we consider to be most important:
- Love Jesus– As our pastor, Andy Stanley, often says: “Following Jesus makes your life better and makes you better at life.” As believers, we know that this is not some magic formula and that becoming a Jesus follower does not suddenly make good things happen to you. It’s more that approaching each day with a mindset that we’ve been saved by grace through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross completely changes how we view ourselves and others. Offering grace, putting others before ourselves, realizing that everyone has a story that makes them who they are, and that everything that happens in our lives can be used for an ultimate purpose of bringing God glory… all of these ideas change our overall perspective on life and how we live each day.
- Give Generously– We want our kids to grow up seeing how much FUN it is to give. Serving others with our time, money, and resources not only reminds us that everything we’ve been given comes from God, it also keeps us centered on what matters most in this life- and for us, choosing to acquire as many “things” as possible is not a part of that equation. Do we love buying gifts for our kids and surprising them with fun activities? Absolutely! Do I think it’s wrong to spend money on things you love? Of course not! But for us, we want our mindset to be giving first, saving second, and living on the rest.
- Build a strong community– Whether you’re 10, 45, or 70, the people you choose to surround yourselves with will have the biggest influence on your life. We want our kids to choose their core community and create lifelong friendships with other people who live life with the same Jesus-centered perspective. Matt and I each have a core group of friends who pray for, encourage, and challenge us when we need it. Their influence on our lives is huge, and this is what we pray our kids will find as well.
If you have a family mission statement, I’d love to hear it in the comments below! And if you haven’t taken time to write down your big-picture vision for your family, I think you’ll find it to be a fun and freeing activity that helps you worry a little less about the millions of smaller things we can overly focus on as parents. And if you have questions about ours, ask away- I’m pretty much an open book. 😉
