MOST PEOPLE YEARN TO HAVE DIRECTION IN THEIR LIVES, the feeling that they are working toward a worthwhile goal—that they have a mission. They may spend years in the quest for answers to questions like: "What should I be doing with my life?" and "Where am I going?"
Some seek answers through employment, many through self-help books, and others through counseling. My own quest for a deeper sense of purpose and direction was accelerated by the sudden loss of two siblings. A lifelong Christian Scientist, I was not content to find my answers through conventional human means. I knew my answers would be found through prayer and gaining a deep-rooted understanding of my relationship to God. In studying the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, I came across this statement about Jesus' mission: "In witness of his divine commission, he presented the proof that Life, Truth, and Love heal the sick and the sinning, and triumph over death through Mind, not matter. This was the highest proof he could have offered of divine Love" (p. 54). After reading that I wondered, "Do we have a divine commission like Jesus did?"
This led me to compare the terms mission and commission. It seemed to me that a mission is a life-purpose a person more or less discovers on his own, based on guiding principles he sticks with and lives by. A commission is a mission that's assigned him by someone. It's essentially an agreement between a commissioner (the person or organization making the commission), and the person performing the commission. As with any legal agreement, a commission includes a listing of the parties involved; the period of time it will take the commission to be completed; a statement of the specific objectives, responsibilities, and parameters; when the commission will be completed; and how people will be compensated when the commission is completed satisfactorily.
