A personal mission statement is a statement that defines your values; it speaks of what matters most to you. To be honest, I love journaling and getting things on paper and being able to express my thoughts, but I always thought that writing down a mission statement for my life was stupid. I guess because things change, they are always developing, always growing and deepening and writing down a statement for my life I didn’t want to do that process with God it was so overwhelming for me.
What if I didn’t like it? What if I had a different idea for my life in what ministry looked like? Six years ago, I suffered from severe postpartum depression after having my little girl Hadassah. That’s a different story, but through a series of events, I found myself at the end of my tether. I remember screaming out to God and right then and their God spoke to me and said, ‘I love you, just as you are, and I will NOT leave you where you are.’
Over a journey of a couple of months, God showed me and spoke to me about the importance of simple yet significant. So, I guess the thing I thought was stupid has saved me in more ways than one. I truly believe that there is nothing too small, nothing too simple that when God’s hand gravitates over is significant. The sad thing is that sometimes we can miss it, because too often we associate simple with small, with easy. We associate significance with grand, with great influence and great opportunity but who says it’s great, who decides? what is it measured by?
About 9 years ago I vividly remember praying for patience, let me tell you the worst thing I could have prayed for HA! God definitely answered that prayer right then and there. The number of things that came across my path tested and grew my patience.
I am a mum of three kids I tell you those little cherubs can test and grow my patience and sometimes I realise how much I lack in this area still. Patience, kindness, love that’s the simple stuff, they are not so simple when you have your patience tested time and time again or you are told no. Kindness and love are not so simple when you have to opportunity to not just preach it on a platform on a Sunday but extend it to others that have disappointed you, who have hurt you. But the simple things or what we see as simply the effect is incredibly significant in a person’s life.
Significance
What if, maybe just maybe significance looks like showing daily gentleness, demonstrating love (even before you’ve had your morning coffee),
speaking words of kindness, reflecting our creator and bearing fruit.
John 15:5 says,
''He who abides in Me,
and I in him,
bears much fruit.''
This little word abide means to remain stable, to remain fixed. In this chapter just in the next six verses, Jesus uses this word 11 times subtly hitting you and me to remain in His love, to remain in His word, to remain in Him. The fruit of the Spirit can only come forth by firstly remaining in Jesus. So, my question to you is what fruits are you bearing? We only produce the fruit that God cultivates within us, our fruit-bearing is simply a result of what He does in us.
Fruits of the Spirit
I find the fruits of the spirit go unnoticed, they can too easily go unseen, and people take them for granted. They are not the most popular character traits that people desire, give me courage, or boldness any day of the week. I want to preach, lead, give me the platform. What if, this was the most significant platform you were entrusted with? What if, maybe we were overlooking these character traits because they have a level of emotion and vulnerability to them, which in this day and age can be seen as a weakness. Throughout the Bible, Scripture emulates simple moments with significant impact
- God used Samson and a donkey jawbone to slay a thousand men
- He used Samuel and anointing oil to proclaim a shepherd boy
- He used David his slingshot and stones to slay the mighty Goliath
- He used the unnamed little boy who had 5 loaves and two fishes
- He used a simple stable and manger to welcome the saviour of the world.
In all my years, 30 to be exact. I’ve realised that we are so quick to undervalue the small and that often leads to missing the significant. Why? Why is that? Humans are creatures of habit and we’ve learnt to subscribe to big moments in emotionally charged rooms, wejust want a touch of heaven a moment. But God doesn’t just want to meet you in a moment but through your day today.
The same is often our perception of ourselves, we value Gifting and talent over character. The danger is that we may be Gifted but unkind, A brilliant businessman but unwilling to show grace. A sharp and talented employee but you never display peace.
When we look at Christ, we have the perfect illustration of what God's Spirit should look like in us. If it were good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me. I am Convinced that the Fruits of the Spirit at work in our lives will take us places, open up doors and give us great influence that a platform won’t.
Chevaun Tabacaru is a mother to three children, two gorgeous girls and a cheeky, beautiful boy. Chevaun is studying a Bachelor of Ministry and Pastors alongside her husband Mark at Calvary Christian Church, Rockhampton. She is passionate about bridging the gap between Community and Church, as she leads Calvary Care globally.
