Mission Possible: Go Create a Life That Counts

by Tim Tebow

Scripture gives us one shared and big-picture purpose: to glorify God. As believers, we honor and serve Him with our lives, our natural gifts, our resources, our bodies, our worship, and our decisions. The list is vast, but the goal is clear. In His last instructions to His disciples, Jesus commanded them to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). I like to think of this command as marching orders for the church.

Within that greater purpose of glorifying God, you find your purpose in what you do every day. Simply put, purpose is about being mission driven in your ordinary life.

Living a mission-possible life means executing the good works that God has already prepared for you to do.

The world is flooded with hurting people and messed-up situations. And while we cannot fix every problem, God can. And through our willingness, we can partner with Him and bring some light to a world that is shadowed with darkness.

Looking back, I can connect the dots and recognize my parents’ strong influence that shaped me and my other siblings to live a mission-possible life.

Sometimes God makes it clear, and sometimes it might not feel that way. That’s why it’s called living by faith, not by sight.

Living with a mission-impossible mindset is dangerous. Deadly, even. We know things like smoking and living off junk food will never increase our vitality or longevity. But did you know that if you lack meaning in your life, you risk an early death? According to Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, researchers reviewed the correlation between purpose in life and mortality by analyzing participants between ages fifty-one and sixty-one. It was found that “people without a strong life purpose were more than twice as likely to die between the study years of 2006 and 2010, compared with those who had one.”[3]

And significance is found when you align your soul with what matters to God and move forward each day.

you begin to live your life with a deeper sense of purpose, meaning, and significance than ever before and make your life count.

knowing you can because He did.

I want to live a mission-possible life. I always want to strive to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. That’s the mission statement of our foundation, and it’s also my personal mission statement.

We are meant to do so much more than occupy space. We are called to teach, care, love, help, pitch in, bear the burdens of others, and fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are. —a friend of Theodore Roosevelt

Martin Luther wrote, “The idea that service to God should have only to do with a church altar, singing, reading, sacrifice, and the like is without doubt but the worst trick of the devil…. The whole world could abound with services to the Lord…not only in churches but also in the home, kitchen, workshop, and field.”[1]

Being a mission-possible Christian has less to do with holding a religious vocation and more to do with developing an intimate relationship with Jesus.

When we compartmentalize our lives, we do ourselves a disservice. We don’t honor God by moving the kingdom forward only on certain days of the week or times of the day. We have the honor of living in such a way that, as Jesus observed, we can please our Father in heaven in whatever we do. The Bible teaches this very principle. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” The apostle Paul, who was known for his devotion to Christ and his positive attitude even in the worst of circumstances, wrote, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). He gave the same directive in the third chapter of Colossians: Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father…. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (verses 17, 23–24)

In these passages, Paul is giving Christians a genuine command. What he’s saying is that in all things, no matter what, turn your present task, moment, or emotion into an act of worship. Rather than being motivated by temporary pleasure, affirmation, or earthly reward, maintain a pure servant’s heart before the Lord. Our attitudes are reflections of our souls. Our actions and motives should derive from who we represent. When we wholeheartedly align ourselves under this intention, our energy and effort will be well received by others. However, the God of the universe is who we should ultimately seek to please.

A study conducted by psychologists at the University of Miami observed a group of subjects. A third of them were asked to keep a daily journal of all the things that happened that they were grateful for. Another third of subjects were asked to write down the events that happened that irritated them. The final group of subjects were asked to record daily events without specifically either a positive or negative description. At the end of the ten-week study, in comparison to the other two groups, the group that practiced gratitude felt more optimistic and positive about life, were more physically active, and had fewer visits to the doctor.

A person goes out to his work and to his labor [avad] until evening. (Psalm 104:23) As for me and my house, we will serve [avad] the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship [avad] me.’ ” (Exodus 8:1, NIV) See, the ancient Hebrews integrated these three words in one.

Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

This was it. This was part of my mission. This was the love of God in action. This was what it looks like to be embraced, accepted, and loved in the presence of His glory.

“My daughter will never get married. She will never have a baby. But tonight she felt like a princess.”

Alexis de Tocqueville came to the United States in 1831 to write a big book called Democracy in America. After conducting more than two hundred interviews and visiting seventeen states in nine months, he wrote over eight hundred pages on what he saw was the most democratic and flourishing nation on earth. In an essay titled “On the Taste for Material Well-Being in America,” de Tocqueville noted in a less than

complimentary manner that those living in the United States “are universally preoccupied with meeting the body’s every need and attending to life’s little comforts.”[3] Dang!

I love what financial guru Dave Ramsey has said: “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”[4] Sometimes you just have to make a statement in order to do this.

This was a mission. See, I didn’t want to just get the guys to like me; I needed them to respect me. Respect in the game is more important than being liked. If they respect me, then they’ll play hard for me. Sure, part of this had to do with ego. I needed the guys to think of me as a different kind of animal who looked at pain differently. But this was also an opportunity to set the tone of who I was and what I was about. It was a sign of my character—evidence, however small, that I was willing to go to the nth degree to get uncomfortable for something greater.

Remember, there is always a purpose to the pain.

Though our feelings come and go, [God’s] love for us does not. —C. S. Lewis

Helen Keller said: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”

“We at the foundation often say that although most people think we are blessing the family, any one of us who are there know that we are the ones who walk away so encouraged.”

It’s truly humbling to meet a child who knows the true meaning of suffering and pain and have him or her look into your eyes and tell you with confidence, “God is good. And I believe He can heal me.”

There’s power in the details. There’s purpose in...

Working hard is not the end goal; we work hard to get to the end goal.

Let’s talk about hard work for a minute. A work ethic is pointless without a purpose. Working hard is not the end goal; we work hard to get to the end goal.

One of the emptiest things I hear well-meaning teachers, coaches, and even parents say is how proud they are of someone’s work ethic. I don’t mean to say it’s a terrible thing to be proud of, but it’s essentially meaningless if there’s no purpose beyond self-achievement. Why would you get up at 4 a.m., or work out twice a day, or study most weekends, or do any number of hard things without a good reason? It might seem crazy, but to me that’s a waste of time. If you’re a believer, your purpose is ultimately to glorify God, right? To love and serve God and others. Discipline, patience, endurance, and work ethic are valuable things in and of themselves, but they have more meaning when they are connected to a higher purpose. Harness discipline and a solid work ethic, and use them as tools to point in the right direction.

“The waiting is the hardest part.”

The Bible is full of stories of heroes on brutal journeys through the waiting. While David is waiting to be crowned king of Israel, he is on the run from a king who wants him dead. Paul is in prison while waiting to preach the gospel in another part of the world. Noah is waiting for rain to come while fielding doubt and dirty looks. The psalmist wrote, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

Don’t waste your waiting. Purpose is always present, even in the waiting. As you wait for wisdom, an answer to prayer, or even healing, if you allow Him to, God will always position you to be used for His glory. Purpose is always present, even in the waiting.

Then I would think about how they tortured Jesus and crucified Him. I’d tell myself that Jesus suffered so much more than I ever have and He suffered for me. I knew I could finish the treatment.

he defined perseverance as “having a purpose in life in spite of your difficulties, having a goal and never stopping until you achieve that goal.”

In spite of the difficulty of cancer, I had a purpose. My purpose was to never give up. My faith told me that in any circumstance, the light would always beat the darkness. No matter how dark cancer was, the light would always shine through the darkness. Some of you might be facing problems right now, like bullying or not making the sports team. How can you overcome those difficulties? By persevering, by having a purpose. You have to know that you are special and loved, that God loves you.

“I’m not afraid to die,” Ethan began, “because in the big picture, we are all going to die. I might be eleven and another person one hundred. It doesn’t matter. We will all die someday. I don’t want to die at an early age. Who does? But I am not afraid to die because I get to spend eternity with God. Some people are afraid to die because they don’t know there is eternal life afterwards. Heaven is pure joy, where there is no pain, no suffering, and no evil. I will be in the presence of God and Jesus. As great as we think it is, it will be infinitely better. So why would I be afraid to die?”

We can use what we’ve been given for others. Success in itself isn’t a bad thing. There’s never been a day in my life in which I’ve wanted to lose, whether that’s a game or a deal. But I also know that if I allow success to be used in only a self-fulfilling way, I will lack purpose. Significance, however, is about others, loving and serving people. One of the greatest questions you can ask yourself is, Does my life change other people’s lives for the better? When you’re focused on others—when your priorities are wrapped around the Great Commission, bringing the love of Jesus to hurting people—your life counts for more than a title people will forget or an achievement someone will probably surpass in time. Years ago, I heard it said that one of the greatest tragedies in life is to look back one day and say, “I was successful in things that don’t matter.” I am writing this chapter so that you live today with tomorrow in mind and so that your end goal is not shaped by who the world says you are but rather is anchored in whose you are. I don’t want your end goal to be about praise, promotion, and applause; I want it to be about people, purpose, and passion.

Powerful

We are not responsible for the outcomes of our prayers. We allow Him to open or close the doors He chooses for us. We may not hold the power of foresight, but we have the power of choice. We can choose our attitude. We can choose where we deposit our hope. We can choose in what or whom we trust.

In all the silent years, it seemed like God was silent. But all along He was, and is, speaking. Our God is a God with perfect plans. He sees and hears and knows us. He comes down to deliver us. He teaches us what to say. He performs wonders in our midst. And He is with us.

What matters more than the fun we have or the stuff we accumulate is what we did with the time we were given.