In between Mission Impossible and Mission Accomplished lies the greater realm of life, Mission-In-Progress. I find there are few "resolved" matters in ministry. Instead we are all on the way with Christ. Our United Methodist heritage includes the powerful mission of "going on to perfection." I was asked questions related to this at my ordination in June 1991: "Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life? Are you earnestly striving after it?"
"The best, most accurate description of Christian perfection is love. It is love fully formed in the human heart, soul, and mind. With Christian perfection the heart is so filled with love that there is no longer room for sin and evil to reside there" (Steven W. Manskar, a perfect love: Understanding John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, 6). Christian perfection is not about the elimination of sin or mistakes in our life as if we strive for perfect "performance"; it is about the increasing triumph of love in our lives by God's grace.
Knowing only in part how much is going on in our lives that we cannot control, we can at least be mindful of our direction. Pastor and author, Andy Stanley, makes this admittedly obvious affirmation:
"Direction-not intention-determines our destination"
(The Principle of the Path, 14)
One way to gauge our direction and measure how we are "going on to perfection" is through core principles or values. Some years ago I worked with the FranklinCovey PlanPlus system to write down some of my core values as a disciple of Jesus Christ and United Methodist pastor. They are signs of what God has revealed in my life to help me continue or return to the path of love and grace with Christ. I encourage you to devote time in prayer and reflection on the values you depend on or live by in your journey with Christ. These are mine:
Communion: I will seek to personally connect with God, neighbor and self in each interaction, and express genuine interest and care.
Imagination: I will seek times of solitude for the purpose of reflection and exploration of my imagination. I will invite others into similar exploration and encourage them through shared times of creative imagination.
Generosity: I will seek an abundance mentality toward my possessions, gifts and all creation. An integral part of this commitment is the availability of my person (spirit, mind, heart) for service with and for others.
Integrity: I will seek to realistically assess my relationship with time and correspondingly make commitments with God, neighbor and self that are reasonable and authentic. I desire to make and keep genuine commitments.
Let's keep going in the direction of Love and let God accomplish impossible things in our midst.
