My church is part of a family of churches from all around the world. Every three years we have an incredible worldwide conference for the members to attend where you are encouraged with awesome messages, see old friends, and get to meet new people from everywhere. Six years ago, the conference was in the Philippines and they broke the Guinness World record by singing Amazing Grace in 50 different languages.
And though I think it’s thrilling to hear and watch the videos, it also brings a slight twinge of pain to my heart because I was at home working and missed all of it. I vowed that I would save my money and get time off and make it to the conference in South Africa this year. But heartbreak upon heartbreak, I could not go. When going abroad, it’s amazing how many obstacles manage to stand in my way- dates of things are changed, my parents threaten to disown me concerning the safety, or I can’t afford it or get the time off of work. I sat this week looking at picture after picture of the sites and listening to podcast after podcast of the conference and wondering- why couldn’t it be me too?
To be fair, I have been on many amazing trips and to conferences myself. But I often can’t go and sometimes it’s hard to watch others get that freedom. A friend sympathized with me a few years ago and said that God is not trying to dissuade her from the experience, but would rather her see her current job and influences as her place for missions. Sometimes in life it’s easier to go then it is to stay. Easier to assume what God wants then it is to listen. Easier to build more experiences for yourself then sacrifices for others.
One summer years ago I wanted to go abroad, God had actually told me to go home instead. I begrudgingly went, and signed up for summer classes to fill my time. Oddly enough, my cousin ended up staying with us as well. My cousin was always my role model- he’s super smart, talented, and can juggle 15 things at once without blinking an eye and basically, I was kinda trying to follow in his footsteps. But he had made some hard life choices and needed to be with family and heal. It never really occurred to me to try to disciple him, or try to encourage him, or anything, really I just ended up living my life as normal. And oddly enough, that was what he needed to see- Christians completely dependent on God, trusting Him and working to get through things. And though he left at the end of that summer seemingly untouched, he later revealed how much it had meant for us to support him, encourage him, and give him an example to model. He started doing Bible studies and looking for churches so he could find out about the God we were serving, and I keep him in my prayers and continue to believe for miracles in his life today. I wonder though, how much different would that summer have been had I went home with a servant’s heart, anxious to be used by God and serve my cousin, as opposed to the anger and disappointment that I mostly faced because it wasn’t the missions trip abroad I had pictured?
Where has God placed you that no one else, or no other Christian, can currently reach? Whether it be people you work or study with, family members, an untouched environment, a difficult situation, or even just a new idea- how can you offer, serve, train, disciple, or speak life into where you are right now? God has given us all the ability to speak into others lives and impart them with power from on high and is always with us wherever we go.
No mission looks exactly as we would expect it to. Jesus himself completely surprised the people of his day with how little he resembled their expectations. But in spite of that, he continued to serve, to heal, to encourage, and to love. And whether we’re a full time pastor, a missionary to a third world country, a student at an incredible conference, or a young adult just trying to make it through the day, we have the same capacity to love, disciple, share, and serve right where we are- the missions field of life that he has called us to. Trust him to show you the way.
Isaiah 6:8- “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!'”