Family Mission Statement

Paul and I learned early on in our relationship that we do best when we're working together towards the same goal or end. We found that we make a pretty good team! We see this whenever we go traveling. We have the same goals of having fun, staying safe, seeing the sites, and ensuring that our needs are met. We do not do as well when we don't know what we're working towards, or when we each think we know what the end goal is. When we are not communicating we get lost. Lost = arguing, bickering, hurt feelings and crankiness.

I would like to say that the above paragraph was the motivation for writing a family mission statement - but technically it wasn't. The motivator was actually identifying our life board of directors or BOD. I'll dedicate another post to our BOD because it deserves it's own post. 

When a company or an organization has a Board of Directors, they typically have a mission statement or some agreed upon idea of what the goal of the company is. So that everyone is on the same page and when decisions need to be made they can be made in light of the direction the organization wants to move.

If we are going to have people hold us accountable individually and as a family, we needed to be on the same page with the direction of our family.

Last week, Paul and sat down at our favorite spot, and worked through these questions. The time was worth it and we love the mission statement that we created out of it. This mission statement will help us guide what we value and how we spend our time, money, and resources.

Drum roll please.....

We, Team O, believe that our purpose as a family is to reflect Christ's love for the church through our marriage and service to one another.  To raise our children to know God and to walk in his ways. To provide for those that are less fortunate. To forgive others for their trespasses and debts against us, to consistently ask for forgiveness for trespassing against others, to steward our finances well, and to honor our commitments to one another. We will accomplish this by:

• Valuing the knowledge that God has a plan for our lives, is actively working in our lives, and that our current situation, whether blessing or curse, us being used and redeemed.

• Making our home a place of generosity, warmth and invitation, and safety.

• Prioritizing time with God, building strong familial and community relationships, service to others, and stewardship of our time, talents, money, and resources above lesser values.

• Interacting with each other in a spirit of joy, humility, empathy, and compassion.