Jackie's Journey "Got Purpose?!"

A New Year!   Another Opportunity!

 When you get to the end of this year, what do you want to look back on and say you accomplished…Personally? Professionally?  Spiritually? Relationally? 

 Would you like to make this year your most successful ever?

 How fruitful would you say you were this past year?  

Did you attain the goals you set? 

 How did you do with keeping Godly priorities?

 So often we think to be successful we need a sense that we are getting more out of life…more me time, vacation time, more quality time with our children, more opportunities to develop a more mature relationship with our husbands, more exercise, less weight…”its all about me”!  We are blinded by kids’ schedules (practices, meets, tournaments, tutors, recitals, award ceremonies and more).  We live in a maze of taxi driving (pick-ups and drop-offs), carpools, careers, vacations, parties, sleepovers, play dates, fears and circumstances that keep us from seeing the clarity of our designed purpose.  We are forever seeking balance…

 This is the opposite of what God envisions for us.  We are to live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility… not as (women) who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but those who do…making the best use of our time, despite all the evils of these days…not being vague but grasping firmly what we know to be the will of the Lord.  Ephesians 5:15-17

 Fulfillment in life is not deciding what we want to do or become,

but discovering and completing the purpose for which God made us! (Gothard)

 True success in life is measuring what we are by what we could be (always seeking His purpose and meaning of life) and what we have done by what we could have done (by His grace).   “Faithful is He who calls us who (HE) will also do it (if we get out of the way, relinquish our will and yield to His!). It is achieving the full potential God planned for us. (ATIA)  We are destined with His purpose on our life. (Col. 1:28, 29)…”its not about me”!

 Are we focused on what God is focused on or are we hastily and thoughtlessly doing our own thing?  If we have not realized our life purpose and set eternal goals for this coming year, our present priorities to reach that goal are superfluous!  Our focus is blurred by the demands of the immediate on the altar of the permanent. 

 The key to a full and rich life is determined by our commitment

to pleasing God first! The alternative is failure…and I hate failure!

 When I was a young Christian I was challenged by Betty Scott Stams declaration of purpose.  She was a missionary to China and was martyred by Communists in 1949.

 “Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Your will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all utterly to You to be Yours forever.  Fill me and seal me with Your Holy Spirit.  Use me as You will, send me where You will, work out Your whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever.”

 While at the University, I stapled that statement of purpose inside the flap of my Bible and it is still there today…a reminder of my commitment to my God, who gave His ALL for me, to “die daily”.  “If anyone would come after me (Christ), he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  Luke 9:23

 Taken from Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die (to my will, rights, ambitions, entitlements, etc.) is gain.  It has carried me through life and has been my comfort while serving in the jungles of Panama until this day…

 Where is your heart fixed?

 What is your declaration of purpose?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Where's Your Road Map Taking You?"

There is a lot to be said about a winner.  They are a unique breed.  They possess qualities that set them apart from the pack.  Not everyone is a winner. 

I have just spent a week with a collective group of winners-in-the-making.  As I observed their character and began to take notes on what makes a winner, I realized I was in the company of some very special people.

A winner:

·      Is not afraid of losing

·      Does not waste time

·      Says, “ I’m good, but not as good as I could be”

·      Notes when people are doing things right

·      Encourages habitually, celebrating others

·      Sees opportunities; not problems with a complaining attitude

·      Feels responsible for more than his/her job

·      Easily admits when wrong…no excuses or rationalizations

·      Is one who listens, doesn’t interrupt

·      Works harder

·      Learns from others

·      Loves harmony over demanding his own way

·      Wants to make it better for everyone

·      Has no need to control, leads with eye on the need of the others

·      Serves others first

·      Expects success, not failure

·      Does what is right because there is no other option

·      Shows no favoritism

·      Is not interested in exclusivity; It’s one for all and all for one

If we were handing out Golden Globes, Academy Awards or Medals of Honor, these qualities would reveal the true candidates!   There was not an absence of conflict during our vacation at the lake, but there was a definite determination to resolve it quickly and restore the harmony!  There is a spiritual road map that leads to mature hearts that have jumped outside the “me, myself and I” philosophy and embraced God’s plan for success.

Let me introduce you to these outstanding young people.

Albert Schweitzer once said, “Example is not the main thing influencing others…

It is the only thing!”

As moms, we want winners.  We pray for dedicated young people that will count for the cross of Christ.  We labor toward their success.  We cannot, at any point, underestimate the power of our influence, be it good or bad. 

When I think back to the many positive influences in my early life, I recognize that one of the greatest gifts I received was the way my family approached learning about God and the importance of His character becoming our character.  Doing right was not an option…it was an imperative and God’s Word was the standard.   In a world where a godly “road map” is nearly non-existent, our responsibility to build a pragmatic faith in our children and grandchildren is daunting!

Catherine

My eighteen-year-old granddaughter told me recently that her teachers at school had asked her why she was so grounded and had such firm personal convictions.  She answered that her foundation in Christian values and the open door of communication with her family regarding the Word and Godly principles of life had formed her “road map” and given her security in her faith and an “eternal value” focus on life!  She’s a winner!

 Where’s your “road map” taking you?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey: ...Got Purpose?

A New Year!   Another Opportunity!

When you get to the end of this year, what do you want to look back on and say you accomplished…Personally? Professionally?  Spiritually? Relationally?

Would you like to make this year your most successful ever?

How fruitful would you say you were this past year?  Did you attain the goals you set?  How did you do with keeping Godly priorities?

So often we think to be successful we need a sense that we are getting more out of life…more me time, vacation time, more quality time with our children, more opportunities to develop a more mature relationship with our husbands, more exercise, less weight… “it’s all about me”!  We are blinded by kids’ schedules (practices, meets, tournaments, tutors, recitals, award ceremonies and more).  We live in a maze of taxi driving (pick-ups and drop-offs), carpools, careers, vacations, parties, sleepovers, play dates, fears and circumstances that keep us from seeing the clarity of our designed purpose.  We are forever seeking balance…

This is the opposite of what God envisions for us.  We are to live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility… not as (women) who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but those who do…making the best use of our time, despite all the evils of these days…not being vague, but grasping firmly what we know to be the will of the Lord.  Ephesians 5:15-17

Fulfillment in life is not deciding what we want to do or become, but discovering and completing the purpose for which God made us! (Gothard)

True Success in life is measuring what we are by what we could be (always seeking His purpose and meaning of life) and what we have done by what we could have done (by His grace).  “Faithful is He who calls us who (HE) will also do it (if we get out of the way, relinquish our will and yield to His!). It is achieving the full potential God planned for us. (ATIA)  We are destined with His purpose on our life. (Col. 1:28, 29)… “it’s not about me”!

Are we focused on what God is focused on or are we hastily and thoughtlessly doing our own thing?  If we have not realized our life purpose and set eternal goals for this coming year, our present priorities to reach that goal are superfluous!  Our focus is blurred by the demands of the immediate on the altar of the permanent.

The key to a full and rich life is determined by our commitment to pleasing God.  The alternative is failure…and I hate failure!

When I was a young Christian I was challenged by Betty Scott Stams’ declaration of purpose.  She was a missionary to China and was martyred by Communists in 1949.

“Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Yours forever.  Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.  Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever.”

While at the University, I stapled that statement of purpose inside the flap of my Bible and it is still there today…a reminder of my commitment to my God, who gave His ALL for me, to “die daily”.  “If anyone would come after me (Christ), he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  Luke 9:23

Taken from Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die (to my will, rights, ambitions, entitlements, etc.) is gain.  It has carried me through life and has been my comfort while serving in the jungles of Panama until this day…

Where is your heart? 

What is your declaration of purpose?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.