Are You On Mission?

by Mike French

Are you on Mission?

When I asked myself this question, I really wasn’t sure how to answer it. Words like intentionality, passion and responsibility bounced through my head. But it seemed like a tangled web. My mind drifted, I soon felt overwhelmed with all the tasks that were brewing in the background of my mind. Do I really have time to ponder mission? There is so much stuff I need to accomplish. 

And there it is, the aha moment. It was all about the tasks. The tasks were such a driving factor. The tasks drove my day. It was in tasks that I felt accomplished. Or, in these same tasks, I felt overwhelmed and inadequate. 

In a moment, my investigation of mission had been replaced by a seemingly endless task list. Some of the tasks were trivial and others critical. But regardless of the “importance”, each task felt like it joined in a ploy to keep me from focusing on my mission to understand mission. 

If you can stay with me, I want to work work backwards for a moment. As I evaluated some of the tasks that were causing me stress, I started to realize that they pointed to something. The tasks pointed to my mission. And right now, all those tasks were merely pointed to survival. It was the one and only thing they had in common. Ugh, I was on a mission to merely survive. 

Enough of the gloom, what it really told me was that there were multiple “mini” missions in my life that competed for attention. It’s not uncommon. We live in a busy and noisy world. I’ve learned that simplicity and wholeness only existing when we scale back life’s busyness and walk at the pace of love. And yes, love has a pace. But it’s a much slower pace than many of us walk. Like mission, it is much more intentional than the endless task lists dominating our days. 

Here’s where it all pulls together: 

Mission creates and prioritizes tasks. It promotes focus and does not surrender to roadblocks. Mission is relentless. There is a focus and passion that promotes intentionality. My favorite example:

Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26

If you know the passages, Jesus is teaching in a house and a large crowd had gathered. The crowd was such that there was no more room and people couldn’t get close. And the crowd was diverse. Some were amazed by the works that Jesus had done. Others, such as the religious leaders, weren’t necessarily thrilled with Jesus. But they all had one thing in common, Jesus had captivated their attention.

Lean into the story a little, especially the crowd. It would be noisy. We have all experienced crowds. While I would like to think that everyone was loving, loving is not the typical word I would use. There is noise, pushing, and shoving. People jockeying for position. And I am doubting that it was a well organized crowd. It’s definitely an image that we need to capture to feel the impact of this story.

So here come four men carrying a paralytic. That’s a pretty good task. I don’t know how far they had carried him but I couldn’t imagine it was a leisurely walk. And why? Later, Jesus will recognize that it was their faith that drove them to bring the paralytic. It is worth a pause. Do we have that kind of faith today. Do we believe that Jesus has the healing power? Do we believe that He is willing? Would we carry a paralytic to a home where Jesus was teaching?

Are you tracking with me? 

This isn’t were the story ends. Why do I believe the crowd was less than kind? The folks carrying the paralytic couldn’t even get to the door. People weren’t stepping to the side. They couldn’t get access. At best, I think this is where many of us walk. We try, but once we hit a block, we stop. But that is not the kind of faith that makes a Bible story. That is not mission. To turn around because of the crowd is weak. 

Like I mentioned above, mission is relentless. It creates tasks, it’s not a victim of task lists. Mission is all about focus and plows through roadblocks. 

But no, the 4 men did not plow through the crowd using a paralyzed man as a battering ram. Although that was a fun moment of imagination, they took a more civil approach. They decided to take the highroad. Seriously, they took a paralyzed man up on the roof. They decided to make a way where there was no way. Let’s make a hole in the roof.

So how this developed is not really clear to me. Who suggested the idea? Was the property owner involved? Was the roof thatched? Did the roof have tiles that were easy to remove and replace or was it an act of property damage? I don’t really know, but it is hard for me to assume that it was too coordinated. Just consider the chaos that was likely present with such a large crowd. I can’t imagine that people weren’t everywhere, making each step taxing. The noise, the pushing, the smell, we established earlier that crowds aren’t that pleasant. 

And yet the challenge isn’t over. Unless there was a hoist on the roof. They would have to find rope to lower the paralytic down. Then, with a fair degree of coordination, lower a human without dropping him. I mean, that is mission. Seriously, how often do we focus on mission like we see in this story. And let’s not forget, this whole mission was done on faith that Jesus would heal a man. 

Considering this story, we should walk away with inspiration. We can live on mission too. Each of us are given time, talents and treasures. I don’t know that these men were exceptionally talented as problem solvers, paralytic carriers, or roofers, but I do believe they made it their mission. I do believe they gave their time. And it is their willingness that seems to be the catalyst for success. 

If we continue to read in the story, we will see that Jesus heals that man, both spiritually and physically. The Bible tells us that Jesus recognized their faith. If we take a look at our life, can we identify our faith and mission. What consumes your time, talent and treasure? Look at your bank account and your calendar, do they match your mission? If your mission was inspected by Jesus, would He recognize that it was faith driven?