So last week on the podcast we talked about setting intention for the rooms in your home. This week I want to shift focus onto something even more important. Our most important relationships with ourselves, our marriages and our families.

I have been toying with this idea for a while but thought my husband might think it’s silly but then we went to a foster and adoptive parent conference and sat in on a marriage seminar with one of my favorite speakers, Jason Johnson. And he shared this exact thing about marriage! My hubby was totally on board.

We all end up somewhere, and at the end of our lives do we want to have regrets? Like I wish I did this or I was too scared to try that? I wish my kids felt more this?

Before the days off GPS we had to use a map to get from point a to point b. We mapped out our stops along the way and made the plan to have a successful trip. Shouldn’t we do this with our life? At the end of the day God is going to guide our path but we need to implement action and make decisions instead of just letting life happen to us.

So we have a family mission statement and then we went one step further and created one for just our marriage.

We sat down in our annual Sunday meeting and had a brain storming session with the kids. This is what we came up with

In our family we believe, love and trust in the trinity God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and we will live our lives accordingly. Serving God, others and mission work is important to us. We will live our lives with a servant’s heart and make church a priority. Adoption is important to us and we will make room for kids who need families. We will work hard in everything we do, we are loving, respectful, kind, and grateful. We put in our best effort and work together as a team to take care of our home. We will have fun, laugh and play and cheer each other on. We will learn and adventure and always continue to grow. We will say sorry and ask for forgiveness. We will think of others more than ourselves. We love the people of Nicaragua and will pray for them often. We will support each other and be a united family. We will listen to each other and take responsibilities for our actions. We communicate with each other honestly. We will give lots of hugs and kisses and love deeply. We pray and read the bible and listen for God’s voice.

We love having this focus as a family and when we are not aligned with our mission statement we bring back our focus and can have open and honest chats about realigning our priorities to live our lives on mission. We can hold each other accountable and get back on track.

It has really helped our family and I think it will help yours too. If you want to make your own family mission statement, here are some questions to get you started.

  • What is important to us?
  • What do we want to reflect as a family as far as what others say about us?
  • How do we want to fill our time?
  • What are are 5 top values?
  • How do we want to treat each other?
  • How can we serve others?
  • What are we most passionate/excited about?
  • How do we want others to feel when they interact with us?
  • How can we best live our lives to glorify God?

So here is what we came up with for our marriage. We decided to do this in more of a numbered list of commitments and attach it with a why.

  1. We will pray for each other. Because prayer is powerful.
  2. We will put our selfish desires aside and put each other first. Because we love each other and choose love for each other every day.
  3. We will love deeply and be thoughtful. Because making each other feel special is important to connection.
  4. We will make time for date nights. Because one day the kids will be gone.
  5. We will respect each other. Because respect is fundamental to a strong bond.
  6. We will read the bible and study together. Because God is the centre of our marriage and we need to grow together in His word.
  7. We will openly communicate even when its hard. Honesty is important. Because trust is important and we don’t expect each other to understand words unsaid.
  8. We will push each other to be better than we were yesterday. Because growing into God wants us to be is worth pursuing and being uncomfortable.
  9. We will forgive each other. Because bitterness holds no place in happiness.
  10. We will put each other before our kids. Because our marriage is our first priority after God.

 

and if you want to take this one step further make your own mission statement. Here is mine.

My mission statement for my life is this.

I will love God first, my family well second and love others third. I will start and end my day with Jesus. I will be intentional with my life and not waste it. I am passionate about kids being loved and cared for in healthy families and will serve in this way in whatever capacity God calls me to. I am passionate about moms not being overwhelmed and living their motherhoods well, with their eyes fixed on Jesus and I will be an encourager. I will make my family my priority over my business and ensure they feel loved and like a priority. I will take time to slow down, listen, play and laugh. I will work on my flaws, by first acknowledging them and then creating an action plan to improve them. I will take the time for growth so I can invest in others. I will not be selfish and make time for others needs. I will never stop chasing after my God and my dreams He gave me. I will not become stagnant or boring. I want others to feel the energy I exude. I will take care of my one and only body and eat well and exercise often. I will smile more than I did yesterday and I will fill my life with what I love.

The whole point of this exercise is to be intentional with who you want to be in your role as woman, wife and mother. To be on the same page as a family so you can grow together and strengthen your bond and just not let life happen, and things fall apart.

So let me know what your thoughts are on this and take this one step forward and share one or all of you mission statements on Instagram and tag me in it. I think we can learn a lot from each other and cheer each other on!

Let’s end with a prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift off today and for the gift of our life, our marriages, our relationships, our families. Lord I ask that you bring intent and focus to our lives so that we can live our lives on purpose. In specific to the purpose you are calling us to. Lord help us to glorify you in all that we do, in how we behave, in how we serve. Lord I ask you to reveal something to the each listener today. Reveal something that allows them to live a life that is on fire for you. Show us our dreams and guide is in our paths. Bring us back to you whenever we feel overwhelmed or struggling or lacking focus. Surround us with your love, let us feel it and let us hold on to it when we wander. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you. In Jesus’ name AMEN

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