My husband, Mike, wrote the following post. I wanted to share it with all my readers. I have found that remembering why I am here, has helped me focus on the job at hand and trust God with the results.
In our early years as international workers, we experienced many challenges. Both of our sons contracted malaria ( common, but scary). Our son’s bike, (one of a kind where we were) was stolen. Our new car was in three accidents (none our fault). The same car was stolen, during a prayer meeting, and never recovered. My mother faced a serious health scare, and later died. All of that in just over a year.
When my mother died, my sister could only notify me through the Red Cross, who contacted the American Embassy in Lagos. The embassy contacted me by letter, delivered by another American who lived in the same city as us. The embassy officer included his number, in case I wanted to contact him.
I called him. At the end of our conversation he said, “Mike, can I give you a few words that might help you?” “Sure,” I replied. “Remember why you are here,” he said.
Remember why you are here. Those words have lived in our hearts since that day, in all kinds of circumstances. They remind us to never forget that we are here to glorify God, serve his people, and advance his Kingdom.
Have you forgotten why you are here? Draw a circle ( or a box if you want). Label it: ministry or family or work. Anything that describes one context of your life. Now put you in the box. (A stick man will do, but some of you do real art, so go for it!) Under the box write a few statements that describe why you are there. The exercise serves two purposes. It helps you clarify, and it reminds you to persevere through challenges.
Every successful servant of God keeps focus by remembering why God has them in a place. Focus keeps us from wasting our opportunities, so don’t forget to remember.