In my opinion, crafting a family vision was foundation to everything we did. For us, writing our vision was a process. We received bits and pieces over time. In fact, we started receiving parts of the vision for our children before they were conceived that helped us clarify God’s direction for our family. God placed two key things in our hearts:
- They would be passionate worshippers of God and love Him wholeheartedly; and
- Our children would not be rebellious in their teenage years.
God gave us a revelation of our future children in worship. We envisioned them with hands lifted high in church singing their hearts out in worship. We envisioned pouring over scriptures together. We envisioned youth that honored authority. We envisioned them walking in purity before the Lord. We could see them in our mind’s eye. These things burned in our hearts and became our guiding principles from the early days of dreaming about children until now.
As those two principles burned in our hearts, we took it one step further when we visited some dear friends and happened to notice their family mission statement written and posted on their wall. The next week, we were visiting my sister-in-law’s home and noticed they had one too. Challenged by seeing their written statements, we soon committed ours to print. Seeing it spelled out made a difference and allowed us to run steadfastly towards the vision God gave us:
We, the Purtell family, place God as our priority above all things, and we will live a life worthy of the calling God has called us to.
That vision, combined with Psalms 27: 4&8 became the foundation for everything else:
“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I will look for: that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to look upon the beauty of the Lord, and to worship in His holy house…You have said, “Look for My face.” My heart said to You, “O Lord, Your face will I look for.”
If you don’t know where to start, ask Him and go to His word. He is faithful and my guess is He has already been speaking to your heart. I am fully confident He will confirm it and bring clarity as you seek Him.
Do you have a family vision or mission statement? What about a personal one? Share in the comments … let’s encourage one another in the race ahead of us.
