Mid-Year Family Mission Meeting
There is always something about September that feels full of possibility- freshly sharpened pencils, the first page of a new book, a brand new backpack set by the front door, leaves starting to change color and that first crisp night signaling the beginning of fall. Summer winds down and a new school year begins. There is a return to routines and rhythms that may have paused for the summer. All of this makes September often feel more like the beginning of a new year than even the month of January. Because of this, our family often uses the natural reset of September to prayerfully reestablish vision and purposefully plan a clear direction for the upcoming school year.
The beginning of a new school year often has a way of making decisions for us. School goes on the calendar. Then sports and activities, lessons, church functions, work commitments, parties and holidays, appointments, etc. Before long, nearly every square on the calendar is full. Without realizing it, we can spend an entire school year reacting to whatever comes next instead of intentionally ordering our days. Before the rush begins, we have the opportunity to pause and reflect: What do we want this year to be about? Who do we want to become as a family? Here is a framework that might prove helpful as you structure this time:
1. Remember the vision
Every family is being shaped into something- the question is whether that shaping is happening intentionally. We all need clear guideposts to help us stay the course. When vision is at the forefront, we are better able to live in a way that is actively moving in the direction we want to go. Use this time to revisit your family’s Legacy Map. Talk through your vision and your core values together. Pray about this as a family and ask God to help you live out this vision. If you haven’t yet gone through a Legacy mapping we typically have a Family Vision Day event in September. Go to wearelegacymakers.com to see any upcoming events
2. Reflect
Before jumping into action steps, we encourage you to set aside time to reflect on how your family has spent the past few months/year.
Has the way you have been ordering your time, the activities you have committed to,
and the pace you’ve been living reflected your vision?
Have you been pursuing growth in the core values you have established?
Reflection lends itself to a better understanding of where you are and where you need to go. As you reflect, we encourage you to think through the following things:
- Celebrate the good: As you think back over the past few months/year, don’t forget to celebrate the wins (regardless of how big or small). We encourage you to set aside a night to discuss the following questions together as a family. In what ways has your family been intentional in moving towards the vision you have? How have you overcome obstacles? How has the Lord moved in each person? In what ways have you seen growth in yourself and your children? Where are the areas you feel like you are “winning” in right now?
- Find the lack: After you have celebrated the wins, consider what areas you might be lacking in intentionality in. Finding these areas can help guide action steps for the upcoming school year.
- Acknowledge challenges (expected or unexpected): Over the course of a year, there are often unique challenges that can arise. Perhaps it is a financial struggle you didn’t expect, the loss of a family member, a physical move, the birth of a new baby, or a medical diagnosis. These situations can alter vision or shift a family into a season where pace and intentionality looks differently. Take time to reflect on these challenges and talk about it together. You might need time to grieve or to mourn the loss of how you thought things would look right now. The Lord provides much grace in these seasons. Lean into this grace and pray about how He wants you to move forward. Reflect on the ways you saw Him move in the midst of the challenge and praise Him for that.
- Change: Sometimes, for one reason or another, vision needs to shift or change. As you reflect, think through anything that might need to change about your vision or refocus it into something more attainable for your specific season. Perhaps your children are older and your vision needs to expand or maybe your vision was too broad and you want to narrow it down into something more focused. You have the freedom to adjust your vision accordingly. MEGAN, DO YOU THINK I NEED TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THIS SECTION?
3. Dream
Give your family permission to think big with this! Here are some questions to ponder:
What would be an amazing adventure for our family?
What is something we would love to learn?
Who/how could we serve more intentionally?
What would we attempt if we weren’t scared of failing?
Who could we invite into our lives?
What do we hope our family looks like five years from now?
What could God do through our family this year?
How can we be more generous?
Write those dreams down. Laugh about them. Pray about them. And pick one (or several) to actively pursue this year. You might be surprised at what your family comes up with!
4. Plan
Now that you have reflected and dreamed together, it’s time to create actionable steps for what your year is going to look like. With your vision and dreams before you, take a look at your schedule, activities, commitments, and daily rhythms. How can you put these things into action? What things will you say yes to and which things are pulling you away from your vision instead of propelling you towards it? If, for example, one of your core values is hospitality and one of your children has a dream of learning to bake bread, do you have intentional time in your schedule for hosting? If so, could your child use those opportunities to prepare bread to go with the meal you have prepared for your guests? Do you have time to help your child with their dreams and goals or are you too maxed out yourself? What could you take off your plate to make yourself more available? What about your own dreams? Do your children have the chance to see you pursuing something? All of these questions can help realign your daily life to move you towards the kind of family you want to be.
