There’s a beautiful ballad that irritates me: “My Way.”

Whether it’s Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley or Willie Nelson singing, it seems arrogant, like someone standing before the judge proclaiming his wonderfulness.

“And now the end is near, so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full. I’ve traveled each and every highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”

Paul Anka wrote the English words for Frank Sinatra, who sang the song in 1969. It’s set to the music of the French song “Comme d’habitude” first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Seems like every crooner in the world has recorded it since.

We like to think “our way,” is pretty good, but would it shock you if I said that we’re not on earth to do it “our way?” I know we’re constantly hearing about “my dreams, my destiny, my vision, etc.” And that’s good with one qualifier:

Is your dream, the destiny you are pursuing, God’s plan for your life, or is it your desire for self-fulfillment? Are you carrying out the Master’s orders or are you polishing your own reputation, filling your own pockets and padding your own happiness?

You’re No Accident

You see, you aren’t an accident? Did God say, “Whoops! Dropped that one into life by accident,” when you were conceived? Did your mother slap her forehead when the test came back positive and say, “Oh, no! Not another one!” Did your father go into shock and mumble, “My wife’s too old to send her back to her mom and dad,”?

I can’t speak for your parents, but I’m certain that God didn’t goof up when He made you. He put you on earth for a reason. Yes, you.

God has a mission for your life? Yes, from your first wail in the delivery room ‘til your last breath. He entrusted you with a job to accomplish during your life.

So here’s the $24,000 question, “Are you carrying out the mission He created you for or are you simply doing life ‘your way?’”

What Is Wrong With this Picture

I’ve enjoyed playing with Microsoft’s image generator. It can screw up your directions, though. I asked it for an image of Jesus washing a young man’s feet and it spit out the one above. I was a bit put off, but then I realized the machine had accidentally gotten it right.

Our mission is to serve the Lord Jesus. He said that when we ministered to the least of his brothers—the poor, the hungry, the prisoners–we did it to Him. We can wash the Lord’s feet, serve Him, by serving each other!

His Way! The Lord has a “way” for your life. We should make a song of Jeremiah’s lyrics:

“La parole de l’Éternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:

5 Avant que je t’eusse formé dans le ventre de ta mère, je te connaissais, et avant que tu fusses sorti de son sein, je t’avais consacré, je t’avais établi prophète des nations.

” (Jer. 1: 4, 5)

Now, most of us aren’t called to be a prophet to the nations or a pastor or a missionary.

What is our mission? Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. A disciple should be like his Master. Am I sharing the Good News of Jesus with others? Eternal life is at stake for each person.

The first commandment is to love God with everything you are, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. What am I doing to worship God? What am I doing to serve others?

If we love the Lord with all our hearts, there’s a good chance that our dreams will be synonymous with His mission for our life. He told us that if we delighted ourselves in Him, He would give us the desires of our heart.

Here are some things you can consider when thinking about God’s mission for your life and His specific direction for you.

“Tes oreilles entendront derrière toi la voix qui dira: Voici le chemin, marchez-y! Car vous iriez à droite, ou vous iriez à gauche.” (Isa. 30:21, NLT)

“8 Que toute la terre craigne l’Éternel! Que tous les habitants du monde tremblent devant lui!

9 Car il dit, et la chose arrive; Il ordonne, et elle existe.” (Psalm 33:8, 9, )

“3 Recommande à l’Éternel tes oeuvres, Et tes projets réussiront.” (Proverbs 16:4, )

My way? According to Helen Brown, writing in the Financial Times, “As it became his signature song Sinatra grew to loathe it, forced to stand before his adoring audience and expose the ugly truth about his aggressive disregard for the thoughts and feelings of other people. ‘He was,’ says his daughter Tina, ‘a man who all his life looked outside for what was missing inside.’” (Financial Times online, Feb. 20, 2017)

My way? I prefer Matt Redman’s words:

“King of endless worth, no one could express how much You deserve. Though I’m weak and poor, all I have is Yours, every single breath. I’ll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within, through the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart, yeah, I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You It’s all about You, Jesus.” (Song: The Heart of Worship by Matt Redman)