Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept it…

Are you ready? Is it time to invade? Have you prayerfully considered whether this is your area to spy out at this time?

If so, it is time to proceed—carefully. Don’t jump in with out looking! This is enemy territory we’re talking about here. The place where harm, not you well-being, is the intent of those around you. Here danger lurks. Risks are high.

So how should we proceed? “With caution” is the obvious answer. But what does that look like?

The first step is to know your mission. Know why you are going there. Maybe write it down somewhere to help clarify the reason in your own mind. But most of all, be specific!

Have you ever seen the old Mission: Impossible television show? Almost every episode begins in the same place: “Your mission, if you should choose to accept it…” And the mission is always laid out in definite terms: It’s not stop this evil government; it’s “take out Official X before he embezzles these funds” or “Get valuable person A out of location B before C happens.”

Likewise, specify your mission. This way you won’t get pulled into rabbit trails (which often turn into traps). You will also have a clear goal, something to work toward, and will know when you’ve accomplished what you came to do.

For example, I had a goal last November to read and analyze Twilight so that I could provide a sounding board for my sister (who was preparing a teen’s class on it) as well as prepare a book review for this blog. See the parameters set? I had a limited amount (one book, which was more than sufficient for purpose defined) to deal with for a limited amount of time. Once I read the book and the class and review were done, I was done and the goal was accomplished.

So if you can’t set down your mission with this kind of specificity, pause. Re-evaluate. Do you really have a mission at all? Refine it until you do. But if that fails, then stay away! The enemy’s territory is no place for a thrill.