Will You Accept Your Mission?

Ten months ago, I left the only career I had ever known to accept an offer from Lifepath Christian Ministries to manage their York Economy Store. And when I reflect back over the past ten months and all that has happened, I can’t help but recall an item I came across a few months ago while processing donations. An item that was commonplace during the 1960’s and 70’s, but rarely seen these days – a vintage reel-to-reel tape recorder. At first, a feeling of nostalgia swept over me as I recalled the early days of my childhood when these were commonplace before the rise of cassettes and CD’s. But then I realized that God had another message behind my discovery on that day.

The tape recorder reminded me of the old 1960’s television series Mission Impossible starring Peter Graves. In case you are not familiar with the show, Graves played Jim Phelps, who led a team of secret government agents known as the IMF (Impossible Missions Force). The IMF carried out highly sensitive missions that were subject to official denial in the event they were killed or captured. At the beginning of each episode, Phelps receives his instructions on a small reel to reel tape recorder that self-destructs in five seconds after the recording ends. What I remembered about the show was the iconic statement that preceded Phelps’ instructions on the tape recording – “Your mission, should you choose to accept it.” The mission was always presented to Phelps as a voluntary choice. He was not obligated in any way to carry it out. He could choose to refuse the mission and walk away. Or he could choose to accept the mission and risk everything, including his own life, in order to protect his country. Either way he had to make a choice. And you too, at some point in your life, will be confronted with that same choice. Will you accept your mission?

Mission Impossible Video

That choice was presented to me ten months ago when Lifepath asked me to join their team and manage the York Economy Store. Unlike agent Phelps, who always accepted his mission without hesitation, I hesitated to accept mine. As much as I wanted to, I could not see myself in this role. I thought of all the reasons why I could not do the job. I was too old. I had no retail sales experience. I had no experience running a thrift store, or any store for that matter. I had no experience working with minority communities. I had very little experience working with men who were living in a homeless shelter. And then there was my preferred excuse for talking myself out of doing most things – I was not able to meet the physical demands of the job due to a degenerative disc condition in my lower back which had already resulted in two back surgeries. All logic dictated that this was not the right job for me, right?

After all, I had made the logical choice my whole life. Haven’t you? From a young age, we are taught to make logical choices. To weigh all the pros and cons and make the choice that has the best possible outcome. We are told that this is the way to succeed in life and be happy. Tragically, this mindset is so dominant in our culture and so ingrained in our nature that it spills over into our spiritual life. Rather than trusting in God and discovering the amazing plan He has for our lives, we trust in ourselves and our ability to make the “best” decision. So inevitably, we always end up making the safe choice since following God does not seem very sensible according to the world’s logic. And in the end, we limit God’s work in our lives and miss out on the abundant life that Jesus so desperately wants all of his followers to experience.

For the first 13 years of my Christian life, I too had always made the sensible choice. Sure, I had gone on a mission trip, led some small groups, and even preached a few sermons. But I had never done anything radical for God. I had not accepted my true mission. And when I felt called to abandon the safe life I had always known and follow God wherever he led me, I managed to convince myself that now was not the right time or the right opportunity. So I remained in my comfort zone. And the abundant life that Jesus spoke of eluded me. But this time, I knew something was different. A series of events last summer convinced me that God was finally bringing me to a crossroads and I could delay the choice no longer. It was as if He was saying to me, “I am closing the door on this life once and for all, and there is no turning back. And since you will not make the choice on your own, I am going to make that choice for you.” So for the first time in my life, I decided to abandon all logic and say “Yes” to what God had for me. I accepted LIfepath’s offer to manage the York Economy Store and I left my sales career behind me.

The first few months were tough. Probably the toughest I have ever known. I was completely overwhelmed by the responsibility and the demands of the job. I felt inadequate and ill-equipped to perform many of my duties. There were lots of days when I felt defeated and even flirted with the idea of returning to my former career. The old logic I relied on all those years began to resurface. Surely, God had not called me to this I thought. Perhaps I had misread my calling, or maybe I was impatient and had gotten ahead of God when I accepted this role. Once again, I began to substitute human reasoning for trust in God. But thankfully, God provided no way of escape for me. I had put my hand to the plow and there was no turning back now.

In the months that followed, I gradually began to see what God had seen all along. I was the right man for the job, and I was exactly where He wanted me to be. I realized that He had been preparing me for this mission my whole life. And what seemed like “Mission Impossible” from the outset began to seem possible as I watched God do some amazing things in and through me. Things that I could have never saw myself doing at this stage of my life. And for the first time since giving my life to Christ, I understood what he meant when the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

My experiences at the Economy Store, and the relationships I have formed there, have been some of the most profound and enriching of my life. I shudder to think that I would have missed out on this amazing journey if I would have followed my logic and refused my mission ten months ago. What frightens me even more is the thought of not being there for all those people God has brought in my path over that time. Would they have been helped in the same way had I not been there? Would their life have been negatively impacted if I refused my mission? Would their hope in God have been renewed if I had said no? In the words of Brian Wilson, “God only knows.” But these are the questions that drive me every day now. They get me out of bed every morning and motivate me to do what I do. They give my life meaning and purpose, and energize me to carry on with the work when the mission seems impossible.

I have learned through this experience that there is no better place to be than in the will of God, accomplishing the work He has prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10). But, I have also learned that accepting my mission is an everyday choice. There are still days when I feel like refusing my mission. Days when everything seems to be going wrong and I question if I can continue. And that’s when God usually reveals himself to me in some new way. It might be a conversation with a customer, or one of the men from our long-term recovery program who is assigned to the store. Sometimes it’s a donation that arrives on our loading dock at precisely the right moment to meet a specific need or request for assistance. But usually it’s much more subtle. Even a gentle whisper you could say. Many times it is simply reflecting back at the end of the day and marveling at how God brought me through it, despite the many obstacles that were put in my path. And I find my strength renewed and my commitment deepened to carry on with the work.

Through this process, I have also discovered that God has given me a new ministry – the ministry of encouraging others to accept their mission. To help them see what they cannot see and embrace the vision that God has for their lives. To persuade them to abandon all logic and say “yes” to what God has for them before it is too late. To challenge them to join me in this amazing quest to discover what God wants to do with their life. All with the goal of helping them experience God in new ways as He accomplishes His work through them.

So what about you? What choice will you make? Will you continue making the sensible choice and refuse your mission? Or will you trust that God wants to do something incredible with your life and accept your mission? Just as with agent Phelps, the choice is yours.