I was challenged recently by a dear sister/friend/colleague, the Rev. Cokeisha Bailey Robinson, to write a mission statement for my life. This challenge came after we had a wonderful dinner conversation about family, purpose, call, and work. I shared some of my personal stories surrounding my feelings of being in the right spot professionally and personally, the continued editing of my life and career, and my belief that God will have me where I need to be right when I need to be there.

Now I am a person that is continually looking at my life and evaluating if I am in the right spot at the right time. I am processing (at least weekly, lol) my station in life and looking at how I can be better, do more, and have a greater impact on my community, so this call to write a mission statement was intriguing. As I thought about it, I thought about my purpose and focus on my goals, and I pondered how the statement would help me on this road, not only professionally, but personally.

Ken Coleman wrote an article for Ramsey Solutions, and in it he said “a personal mission statement defines who you are as a person (or as a team member where you work) and identifies your purpose – whether that’s on the job or simply in life. It explains where you see yourself in the future, how you plan to pursue that purpose, and why it matters so much to you”. Habakkuk 2:2-3 says “Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Writing my personal mission statement was a challenge, because I wanted it to really speak to who I am and how I move through this life. I recognize that who I am at this time is a different version of who I was years ago, and I wanted it to reflect who I am at this stage in my life. I reflected on it for a little while and then I sat down and got to work. My mission statement is as follows: “I will be a source of light and love in the lives of my family and my community. I will be authentic in every relationship I encounter. I will speak truth in love in my daily speech, and will be unapologetically me everyday! My goal is to reflect Christ daily, and to live in peace, intentionality and purpose!” ~ Dr. Denise Y. Lewis

This statement allowed me to think through who and what is important to me, how I present in this world, how I will remain true to who I am, and how peace, intentionally and purpose are essential for me. This means I will not engage with things and people who aren’t feeding my soul, and I will be mindful of what drives me on a daily basis. Conversely, this requires me to engage with people who can uplift me and hold me accountable for what I put into the world. Accountability partners are important for me and help me grow in so many ways.

Now, there are a few of reasons I am sharing all of this with you. The first is that now you are part of my accountability team. I have put my mission statement out there and if you don’t see me living into it, you are free to pull my coattails to let me know (although I’m pretty certain that won’t be the case). I also want you to find your own accountability team and share with them what your goals are and how they can support you on your journey. The second, is that I am part of an amazing group of women in the group started by Amber Mabry called Vision Defined Women. Amber challenged us for the month of August to identify three goals we wanted to work on this month. One of my goals was to reboot my blog by August 15th. Well, today is August 15th and here we are! I am grateful for group of women I shared that goal with, because I felt that I needed to make sure I accomplished it because I said it publicly. Finally, I want to challenge you to think about who you are and what you want in this life, and to write your own personal mission statement. It is not something that should be rushed, but done so thoughtfully and with prayer. Take the time to really think about how you identify in this world and what that looks like in your everyday life. Once you do that, sit down in a quiet space and write the vision!