One Bite at a Time: Project Six {Create A Family Purpose Statement}

Last week I rejoiced in the sanity-saver that menu planning is for me. This week is one I’ve been dreading – creating a family purpose statement.

It’s not that I’m opposed to a family purpose statement. I can see how they would be very helpful. It’s just that I know, with 100% certainty, that if I asked my husband to help me develop one he would moan in agony and all but refuse. He might go along with me, very grudgingly, but I can’t see that it would be a truly helpful statement when it was created through virtual arm-twisting.

And yet, I don’t want to just skip a project, because I know that if I start doing that, it’ll be all too easy to do that again when I hit one that isn’t easy. And those are most likely the ones I need to do the most, so that’s why I’ve told myself NO SKIPPING. It’s also why I’m going straight through the book, in the order Tsh has, because otherwise I would be very inclined to leave all the ones I’m dreading until the end, and then probably give up because I’ve got two months of projects I’m dreading. The random order is helping to ensure that I’ve got easy ones interspersed with the harder ones.

I do have a starting point however. For several years I’ve had a very vague, overall purpose in mind: I want my family to honor God.. What isn’t so clear is what does it mean in our day-to-day life? I had to get more specific.

Pulling from some ideas I find through a post on sharing family purpose statements and additional Googling
I’ve taken the beginning of Tsh’s own family purpose statement, because I loved it, and some of her specifics influenced mine

As a family, we want to glorify God in all we say, do, and are. We will…

Honor God in all things

Reflect the fruit of the Spirit toward each other

Be each other’s best friends

Be good stewards

Make our home a haven

Be lifelong learners and hard workers

Fill our home with love

Then even more specifics, which should still be general enough to still be applicable no matter what stage of live we’re in.

As a family, we want to glorify God in all we say, do, and are. We will…

Honor God in all things

Follow His path
Worship and serve together
Fellowship with other believers
Regularly spend time with God through the Word and in prayer
Pray for each other often

Reflect the fruit of the Spirit toward each other
{love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control}

Treat each other with respect and kindness
Take each other’s feelings seriously
Encourage and comfort each other
Help each other and others

Be each other’s best friends

Play and laugh together
Spend one-on-one time together regularly
Eat most meals together without distractions
Go on regular dates as a couple
Guard our commitments away from home
Go on regular outings as a family
Be together as much as possible

Be good stewards

Of our bodies
Of our home and possessions
Of our time and talents
Of our money and resources
Of our world

Make our home a haven

Value homemaking as a priority to create a clean and comfortable space for us all to enjoy
Cultivate a home that is open and inviting, and a reflection of our family
Keep our home tidy enough for spontaneous guests, so that anyone is welcome at any time
Keep only what we use and love, and aim to live a simple, uncluttered, peaceful, and joyful life

Be lifelong learners and hard workers