Have you ever watched the Mission Impossible television series? It is the television series from the 1960's upon which the film series is based. In the beginning of each episode, the Impossible Missions Force is given a mission that seems...well...impossible, like freeing a prisoner from a heavily guarded prison, recovering stolen money or valuables, or rescuing a hostage. Intimacy that has been stolen or enslaved can sometimes seem like a mission impossible. As we seek to free, recover, remember or rescue intimacy, we can learn a few lessons from Mission Impossible.
Go to your secret place- At the beginning of Mission Impossible, the main character goes to a secret place and accesses a recording of the mission. We too can go to our own secret places to access our missions.
Listen intently to the details of the mission. In Mission Impossible, Jim only hears the recording of the mission once before it self-destructs. This means that he must focus and listen intently so that he is clear what the mission is. Once you have gone to your secret place, you want to make sure that you are listening intently in a focused way so that you are clear on the exact nature of your mission.
Pick your Mission Impossible Force--After he hears the mission, Jim is shown sorting through pictures of those who might serve on his team for the particular assignment. He thoughtfully chooses those who will be most effective at making the mission impossible, possible. As we pursue intimacy we must pick our mission impossible force carefully. In her book "Who Moved My Happy" Erika Kendrick calls this Mission Impossible Force your support squad. Whatever you call it, be intentional about who is on your team.
Make a plan--The team lead--that’s YOU--then meets with the team and reviews the plan in detail, with each person getting clarity on their part. As we liberate intimacy we must begin with a plan.
Stick to the plan--On Mission Impossible, each of the team members have a part to play in making the plan successful, if someone veers from the plan then the mission could be placed in jeopardy. Referring to your plan often, is helpful in making sure you don't place your mission of restored intimacy in jeopardy. Sometimes things will go differently than expected as you journey toward intimacy, but you must always refer to the plan. There are others depending on it.
As you may have guessed in Mission Impossible, the missions are always POSSIBLE. Like the caterpillar that struggles from the cocoon to become a butterfly it was intended to be--what seemed impossible is possible. That is the case as we seek to liberate intimacy, although seemingly impossible--with God--all things are possible!
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
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