Missionaries
Nothing deep today just a few thoughts.
Yesterday I helped Jason, our missionary to Africa (and one of my close friends), pack his families things in preparation to ship them oversees. The whole time I was asking myself if I could do it. Could I pick up and move to the other side of the world? Twice I have moved my family to unknown places (unknown to us) to minister to others. Both moves required living apart from family, moving to a new state, making new friends, and starting from scratch. But oversees?
I guess that is why some people are so intimidated by missionaries. It’s hard to understand what drives them. It’s easy to look at them as super spiritual, other level Christians who have some direct connection to God. In fact missionaries are just people who put one foot in front of the other. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. 2/3 of God’s name is GO, yet most of us will not even cross the street or worse yet the office hallway to minister to others. It’s kind of like the guy begging for change at the stoplight. As long as you don’t make eye contact you don’t have to feel guilty right? For a group of people who worship a homeless man on Sunday we sure are comfortable in our homes the rest of the week.
In the long run missionaries make us feel good about ourselves. If someone else is doing it we don’t have to. As long as one person makes the decision ever so often we feel justified, like we are doing our part by sending some else. We use words like “specialist” and “training” and even “cultural awareness” but in the end for most it’s about comfort. Stepping out, wither it’s across the world or across the street, is hard to do. It’s painful, uncomfortable, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and wonderful. It is fear and comfort, love and hate, powerless and powerful all in one. It’s….surrender. Stepping out in faith is a surrender of your will and an adoption of Gods will. It is you laying down your fear and picking up God’s powerful plan of salvation all at once. Its pure poetry at it’s finest. And the kicker is, God values stepping out across the street as much as across the world. Changing the world just starts with changing your world.
May you step out. May you worship the God of great journeys. May your next step be your first step. May you be brave enough to make eye contact.
Yesterday I helped Jason, our missionary to Africa (and one of my close friends), pack his families things in preparation to ship them oversees. The whole time I was asking myself if I could do it. Could I pick up and move to the other side of the world? Twice I have moved my family to unknown places (unknown to us) to minister to others. Both moves required living apart from family, moving to a new state, making new friends, and starting from scratch. But oversees?
I guess that is why some people are so intimidated by missionaries. It’s hard to understand what drives them. It’s easy to look at them as super spiritual, other level Christians who have some direct connection to God. In fact missionaries are just people who put one foot in front of the other. It’s kind of funny when you think about it. 2/3 of God’s name is GO, yet most of us will not even cross the street or worse yet the office hallway to minister to others. It’s kind of like the guy begging for change at the stoplight. As long as you don’t make eye contact you don’t have to feel guilty right? For a group of people who worship a homeless man on Sunday we sure are comfortable in our homes the rest of the week.
In the long run missionaries make us feel good about ourselves. If someone else is doing it we don’t have to. As long as one person makes the decision ever so often we feel justified, like we are doing our part by sending some else. We use words like “specialist” and “training” and even “cultural awareness” but in the end for most it’s about comfort. Stepping out, wither it’s across the world or across the street, is hard to do. It’s painful, uncomfortable, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and wonderful. It is fear and comfort, love and hate, powerless and powerful all in one. It’s….surrender. Stepping out in faith is a surrender of your will and an adoption of Gods will. It is you laying down your fear and picking up God’s powerful plan of salvation all at once. Its pure poetry at it’s finest. And the kicker is, God values stepping out across the street as much as across the world. Changing the world just starts with changing your world.
May you step out. May you worship the God of great journeys. May your next step be your first step. May you be brave enough to make eye contact.
posted by Paul at Wednesday, February 15, 2006
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