A Missional Word
06/26/16
Restore. What does that word stir up in you? For my husband and me, it was the missional word for our home last year. Yep, you heard right- we had a mission in the first year of marriage. During the first month of marriage, my husband and I realized our mutual desire to serve people through the gift of our home. I am the visionary out of the two of us—others may call this the idealistic dreamer.
I had this revelation of a word that could represent the guiding focus of our home; this word was restore. I excitedly spewed out the idea to my husband. He gave me those “you are crazy but I love you anyway” stares. Thankfully, we had always been on the same page about the purpose of our home, so restore quickly became our missional word during our first year of doing life together.
If you have even been with a company in its beginning stages, you will understand the agony of trying to craft such a statement. It’s hard to wordsmith all the ideas and values you want to encompass into one beautiful little sentence.
Having been a leadership major in grad school, I knew the power of a good mission statement: it assists your decision- making when things get foggy; it acts as a benchmark for your progress; and it is a foundation points you to your original purpose.
Our missional word has served us well in the past year by helping us remember the purpose our little corner of Denver. We wanted our home to be a place where people felt restored, where they left feeling better than when they came. The food we served, even if it was store-bought cookies, was intended to be used by God to fill any parts of our guests’ lives that might feel empty.
The game nights we hosted were meant for God to bring about authentic friendship and to provide belonging. The conversations we hosted, we hoped God would use to heal hurting parts of us that need to be confessed and forgiven. This last year, we purposed our energy, time, and money to invite people to envision their “restored” nature in Christ.
With a new year of marriage came a new word—peace. We are about to start a new season with a baby. I’ve heard the reports of sleepless nights and moments of chaos (as if there aren’t enough already). I am somewhat of a neat freak so imagining laundry unfolded, dirty baby bottles in the sink, and trash overflowing makes me start twitching with anxiety.
Yet, my husband and I know that God can provide the peace that we need during this next year.
Psalm 29:11 says, “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!”
This year things will look different but having peace be our prayer and war cry will sustain us through whatever trial comes next.
I encourage you to sit down with your husband, roommates, cat, or whomever and discuss the mission word for YOUR home. What season are you in? In what ways is God leading you to bless others with your resources? What is the word or phrase that will keep you committed to the work God has to do through you right now?