When bestselling author Debbie Macomber sits down to write a mission statement, you might think she would focus on writing or selling books.
But instead, her mission was inspired by God’s covenant with Abraham: “I will make you a blessing!”
Read how she’s been led to bless others.
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I truly cannot express what a blessing World Vision is — it brings me such joy to be partnering with this incredible organization. My hope is that as we start 2017, together we can be a blessing to children, and their families and communities all around the world. But for me, this journey really began a long time ago.
Early on in my writing career, I started taking business classes to be professional and savvy enough in the corporate world. And one message I repeatedly heard was the importance of having a mission statement. With that in mind, I set about to formulate one of my own.
Naturally, the first thing I thought about was becoming a bestselling author. I longed for my stories to top all of those important lists. But that felt selfish and ego-centered. True, selling books is important, but that wasn’t what I wanted for a mission statement. As I struggled with this task, I realized that what mattered wasn’t the number of books I sold, but the number of hearts my stories touched.
Yet again that didn’t feel right. Touching hearts was a good idea, but I wanted more. It shouldn’t have surprised me that I found the answer one day while reading Scripture. In Genesis 12:2 when God makes his covenant with Abraham, He said to him: I will make you a blessing.
After weeks of searching, I knew that this would be not only my mission statement, but my purpose in life. To be a blessing. It isn’t about books sold, movies made, or anything else. It is about blessing others.
Over the years, I have strived to remain true to these words. What I have found astonishing is how God has blessed me, my family, my career, my life. I’ve learned that when we bless others, it is reciprocal. We are blessed in return.
It was with this thought in mind that I developed the Blessings Box. The box contains many items that have blessed me and have brought me joy, and I wanted to share that with others.
But again … I wanted more for this box.
To make it a true blessing, I wanted to help others. For each Blessing Box sold, $5 of the proceeds will go directly to World Vision to help fund education for girls. It all comes full circle this way: I bless you. You bless me. Together we make a difference. That’s a win-win-win proposition!
Be blessed, and join me in the mission of blessing others in return.
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