Over the course of my seven years in ministry, I have found myself camped in several different mindsets/places. Perhaps you are familiar with some of them:
- Crazy, excited to be in ministry
- Worn slap out by ministry
- Doing ministry for the purpose of building a following or platform (Didn’t say all of these mindsets were godly, did I?)
- Unsure of whether God really called me to ministry
- Hesitant to take the next step in ministry
- Grateful to be a tool in the hand of God
- Longing to make a greater impact in the lives of others for the sake of the gospel
The last one is where I am currently residing. My desire in ministry has always been to point others to Jesus, but of late, that desire has intensified. I find myself wondering if what I am doing is making a difference in ways that change lives.
Would you allow me the grace to talk this through right here? You see, there are a few things that are feeding into my current mindset. The first is a handful of people called missionaries whose lives I am glimpsing from a bit of a closer range. I grew up Southern Baptist, which means that the concept of missions is drilled into your little brain beginning at a young age. Sunbeams, Mission Friends, Girls in Action, and Acteens….the focus is always missions. By the time I was 20, honestly, I rolled my eyes at the word ‘missions’. Not that I didn’t believe in it, I just didn’t know anyone who did it, so in my mind, it was not relevant to me. How selfish is that?! I’m just being real here!
In the past year, that has all changed for me. Why? Because I now KNOW some missionaries, and their lives have impacted me in amazing ways. Missions has become relevant to me. Here are links to a few of these inspiring people:
Arabah Joy – She and her family are missionaries to an Asian country. She inspires me to live out Jesus in my everyday life. She causes me to think deeper, love stronger, and hold tighter to Jesus. Here is a link to Arabah Joy’s latest book.
Lori Harris – Lori and her family moved out of their comfortable life and into the ‘hood. Literally, the ‘hood’. Lori and her church planter-husband, love on neighbors who might just turn right around and vandalize their house or car. She holds street parties, washes neighborhood kids’ clothes, cares for babies whose mothers might not, feeds forty seven kids hot dogs and chips, and does it all with the love of Jesus shining forth.
GraceTable.org
Adam and Erin Bishop – This sweet girl grew up in my home church. She and her husband and three kids just moved to New York City to plant a church among East Asians living there. They gave up their suburban southern lifestyle to move into an apartment in New York City in order to reach Buddhists, Hindus, athiests, Muslims, and other religions for Jesus.
J & R – A sweet couple who are involved in international student ministry in a large American city, they reach out to students from around the world who are studying in the US. Students come from a wide variety of religions, and no religion at all. They love on them, bring them into their home for meals, take them on outings, and just befriend them. In doing this, they win the right to share Jesus with these students.
These are a few modern-day missionaries reaching out to the lost with the good news of the gospel. These people are changing the way I think about missions.
As if that were not conviction enough, I have been reading a book sent to me by my friend, Marilyn, in Mississippi. It is a book from Voice of the Martyrs and is entitled Hearts of Fire.
It is the story of eight women in the underground church who endured torture, imprisonment, and persecution for their faith. Not light reading, let me tell you. I am being challenged to ask myself the hard questions.
- Would I be faithful to Jesus in the face of persecution?
- Do I know what I believe?
- How much Scripture have I tucked away in my heart for the day when Bibles are as scarce as hen’s teeth?
- Am I willing to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel?
This place I am in…the place of wanting to make a greater impact…this place of wanting to make sure I use wisely the days and opportunities God gives me…I am not in this place by accident. I believe with all my heart that God is pouring out His Spirit in preparation for the final days. I don’t want to be found piddling away my days. (Piddling…It’s a southern word, y’all.) I want to be found putting my hand to whatever work God has for me to do in these final days. I want to be found ready, and making sure others are ready, too. I want to be making a difference for the cause of Christ.
