The You … You Are: Outcome

Someone has said, “You have a much better chance of hitting the bulls-eye if you can see the target.” What’s true in archery is also true in fulfilling your calling – you must see the target.

God has embedded within you a desire to impact a certain audience – a group of people or a social issue. For a group of people your audience might be a particular age group, gender, life experience, marital status, or spiritual condition. For a social institution your audience will be a concern affecting a broader segment of society – housing; disasters; evangelism; parenting; or a host of other issues.

Once you know your audience the question becomes, “What impact would you like to have on this group or issue?” The answer is unique to you and constitutes another part of the desires of your heart. What do you envision will be the outcome of your ministry to your audience? How will their lives change, or how will the world be better, because you served others?

The outcome on your audience tends to fall into one of three categories. Do you long …
1. To meet a need
2. To solve a problem
3. To advance a value

To meet a need
Consider the various needs of your audience. If your audience is a group of people, what’s missing in their lives that will improve their lives? Children need to accept Jesus Christ; males need to develop deeper relationships with other men; the divorced need to move on with their lives; singles need to trust God with their future; and new Christians need to learn more about the Christian life

To solve a problem
The world is filled with problems that need to be solved – unethical business practices; political corruption; environmental pollution; rising unemployment; substandard education; and the list goes on. Do you see something wrong in the world that burns within you? What is it that triggers within you the words, “Someone should do something about that? Maybe that someone is you.

To advance a value
According to the dictionary, a value is a principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable. They are the standards, morals, ethics and ideals that are important to someone.  Usually a value can be stated in one word, such as freedom, equality or justice.

Is there a value you cherish and wish it would become more deeply embedded in people’s lives or in society itself? I do. The outcome I most desire in my ministry can be summed up in one word – purpose! I want all Christians to know and live out God’s unique purpose for their lives. Knowing your purpose is vital for bringing clarity, focus, and effectiveness to a person’s life.

Listed below are some of the values people cherish …

Take time to reflect on the desires of your heart. How would you like to be remembered? What legacy do you hope to leave? How will the world be a little bit better because you lived on earth?