I read this personal creed written by Rolfe Kerr, an educator whose creed Stephen Covey shares in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a powerful guiding statement, and it helps keep him centered on what is most important. He comes from a different faith tradition than mine (he is a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), yet there is an abundance of wisdom in his guiding core values. I want to share it with you.

1. Succeed at home first.
2. Seek and merit divine help.
3. Never compromise with honesty.
4. Remember the people involved.
5. Hear both sides before judging.
6. Obtain counsel of others.
7. Defend those who are absent.
8. Be sincere yet decisive.
9. Develop one new proficiency a year.
10. Plan tomorrow’s work today.
11. Hustle while you wait.
12. Maintain a positive attitude.
13. Keep a sense of humor.
14. Be orderly in person and in work.
15. Do not fear mistakes; fear only the absence of creative, constructive, and corrective responses to those mistakes.
16. Facilitate the success of subordinates.
17. Listen twice as much as you speak.
18. Concentrate all abilities and efforts on the task at hand, not worrying about the next job or promotion.

While one need not agree with everything in a personal mission or creed that belongs to someone else, it is important for one to be focused in life on the things that are most important. And to do so, they must have a guiding principle to help them keep moving forward and doing those things they were uniquely gifted and designed to do.

In Matthew 28, Jesus gives his disciples, and all Christians really, an overview of what their personal mission statement must be; or at least in what direction and to what end Christians must work. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

What is your personal mission statement? How does God’s Word guide and direct your everyday decisions? How is the choice you make today going to impact your experience, and the experiences of those around you, tomorrow? How are you letting God’s Word impact your choices today? To what end are you living your life? With eternal purpose and destiny? What can you do today to incorporate God’s Word into your life to impact, for eternal purposes, the experience of those around you tomorrow?