The world of an almost three year old is full of fascination, surprises, and pull-it-out-of-your-hat statements.  The week before last we were blessed to have our oldest granddaughter, Danalyn, stay with us for a few days.  We look forward to future visits with her, as well as her cousin, Naomi, and her sibling in the making, “Baby Silly Squirt” as she affectionately refers to the unborn child.  She cracks me up with the things that come out of her mouth.

At this time in her little world Danalyn is all about Disney’s Little Einstein™ DVD’s and video clips of the show available on YouTube, which she watches while traveling in the car on her Mommy’s IPhone.  As we met her and Jessica, our daughter, to travel to our home for the week I could not leave the parking lot until we did her special thing.

Danalyn blurted out, “Papa, we got a mission”.  Swirling around in my head was “What the heck is the kid talking about?” “Hmmm, we got a mission.  Nice.  OK let’s go.” Before I was allowed to hit the road we had to perform her new ritual.

All of us began to play the drums on our legs, “pat-pat-pat, pat-pat-pat, pat-pat-pat” as the percussion section in the van built the beat to a crescendo.   We shouted, “Blast Off! We got a Mission!”, and with that we made our way north.

Danalyn has a crush on Leo, the main character.  She told me, he is a ‘cun-duck-tor”.  In the show, as Leo and his foursome yell “Blast Off! We got a Mission!” they are in their rocket ship (think car like hovercraft similar to the Jetson-mobile!) and on their way to foreign lands to explore famous sights, interesting facts about animals, and whatever other things the show’s creators want to teach children in a given episode.

Throughout her time at our house I heard the phrase “we got a mission” multiple times.  She likes it and that is all that matters.

God is always speaking.  There are times He uses a sunset or a thunderstorm to convey His message to me.  At other times He might use the lyrics or melody of a song to reach my heart.  I might hear what is being said through a billboard, a bumper sticker, a friendly smile or perhaps a “tweet”.

In my experience, particularly when I am tuned into His frequency and actually stop long enough to listen, His voice can be heard.  This time it was in a child’s fascination with her make-believe friends and their battle cry, “we got a mission!”

Missions can take many forms.  The folks at NASA prepare for many years for their space missions with a myriad of accompanying details.  You might be “on a mission” when you want to get your house cleaned or the lawn mowed before you have your friends over for dinner.  There are people in my life where my mission is to take a back seat and place their needs above my own.

Some missions are informal.  I could be as simple as helping an elderly person across the street or giving ear to their concerns.  Other missions are formalized and defined in a Mission Statement, such as a business organization stating what they are all about or what drives them.

Recently, I took a stab at writing my own Mission Statement.  I am sure it will get massaged a few times.  However, it is a starting point.  It states:

“I am a positive influence in the lives of others. I encourage people to make choices which enable them to change the stories by which they live. I lead people to answer the question “What makes me come FULLY ALIVE?” and empower them to take flight in the pursuit of their passions.”

To you it might sound corny – that’s OK, whatever works for you.  I have to move to the beat of the drum “pat-pat-pat” that I am hearing.  A dear friend of mine once spoke into my life and likened what was going on in my world like a rocket ready to burst into the stratosphere. The mental picture it created has consumed me.  That day, his mission was to encourage me.

You too can have a mission.  Perhaps you acknowledge it and move to its rhythms.  It could be a seed buried deep inside you waiting to germinate.  If so, water and fertilize it allow it to grow into something that brings you and others joy.  Maybe your rocket has taken flight and you have declared “Blast Off! I got a Mission!”  Only you know what makes you tick.  If you don’t, ask.  God is always speaking.

Think about it – what’s your mission?  Ponder the answer to this question; it might give you the direction you are seeking. “Blast Off! You got a Mission!”