The 4 Foundational Laws of Life Mission provide the knowledge and skills necessary to build a foundation not just for your mission but for a happy, successful life! Paying the price to learn and live the principles of each law with transform you and put you on the mission path!
Full Transcript
Years ago I was pregnant with baby number five and very busy with kids and working on my own liberal education. I had been working on that for several years–reading a lot of great books, studying really hard and being mentored. During this time I chanced upon an organization that was just starting up. It was for women and was a phenomenal idea. It caught fire really quickly and there were a lot of woman interested in program. The founder was an amazing woman–God-fearing, driven, on the ball lady–who had formed a board and they were choosing different curriculum for for women to read in this program. It really had a lot of potential.
I got pulled into it because these women were asking for my opinion on some of the things they were creating. Eventually the director and I had a handful of conversations about her role in this organization. It was such an interesting experience because it really taught me something very important about life mission and about the importance of the 4 Foundational Laws. Here’s why: what became clear to me and then eventually to the director as a result of our discussions was that she wasn’t quite ready to run this organization. She had a lot of those foundational laws in place. Her family was in pretty good order, her relationship with God was definitely fantastic but especially her education was just not what it needed to be. The problem was that although she could form a board that could put together a pretty vibrant curriculum one of the things that she kept talking to me about was training mentors for this program. She eventually asked me to be the head mentor and train her mentors for her. I finally just had to tell her that I didn’t think it was the right model for an educational organization to have a director who not only didn’t have the kind of education she’s trying to give her students, but a richer and deeper learning with which to lead and train her own mentors. I also knew that I wasn’t ready either. It was clear to me that it was going to take some time and energy for her and for me to be ready to build what she envisioned.
It’s interesting because eventually, over the next few months, it became clear that it just wasn’t time and she eventually went on to other projects. I don’t have any contact with her, I’m not even sure what she’s doing now. I’m sure something wonderful. The great news is that she got more serious about working on her education through that whole process.
This kind of thing happens quite often. People get a great idea but they’re not prepared.
I remember when I was attending my liberal arts school ,one of my mentors told me that they would get a lot of really excited freshmen and those freshmen would go through their first year successfully. They’d study hard all year. Then whole bunch of them would quit between freshman and sophomore year. I said asked her why is that was the case. She said it was because during that first year of studying the classics, they’d get on fire about mission. They’d get some sense of self and a little bit of education under their belt and then they’d think they were ready to go off and save the world.
What happens when people do that is that it simply doesn’t work because they’re just not ready. So I just want to encourage each of you to return back to The Mission Driven Life book. If you don’t have a copy go to the home page and grab it. Read about the ten Booms and get clear about those 4 Foundational Laws and how they work.
I can show you that pattern in person after person after person. For example, David Greene, the founder of Hobby Lobby, talked about how he was horrible in school and he didn’t have a college education but he spent his spare time reading dozens and dozens of biographies! He loved to read about the great people in history. He has gone on to do amazing things and have amazing impact for good in the world. He is truly a mission driven individual and that education was part of it.
You’ve got to do some key things like:
- Connecting your education to scripture or your core book
- Seeing where those principles really connect
- Understanding what solutions need to be provided in the world that will really be principle centered and lasting
- Developing the empathy that you need to have for other people
- Stop doing all the judging and comparing and really reach out an empathic servant-leadership way
Of course, that’s what the Academy has been created to prepare you for!
I just want to encourage you to hone in–really read those chapters on the 4 Foundational Laws well; really think about the experiences the ten Booms had; really analyze yourself in your own life.
Be honest, look inside and ask yourself, “Am I really living this law? Do I really have a solid foundation for life mission? Am I really clear about what’s required of me in order to be prepared to be a leader that isn’t going to get pulled back home because everything’s out of control? Or that isn’t going to lose their faith because they didn’t have a strong enough relationship with God? Or is not going to be able to find solutions that last because they don’t really have the education they need to have?”
That was the case with this with this friend of mine and for many people it’s the case because the kind of education that’s required for mission is isn’t given very many places in in the world today!
That’s my challenge for you! Go back and revisit the book. Look at the foundational laws, analyze your life and decide where you need to begin. Get busy living those 4 Foundational Laws because I promise you God has a special work for you to do. As you discover who you are, as you put your life in line with principles ,as you get that education that you need, the time will come when you will hear the call and you will really be prepared! It won’t crumble and fall apart on you and it won’t ruin your family life because you will be truly prepared.