There's a cost to following Jesus. It's a daily dying to oneself to be resurrected in Christ and truly live. It's a lifestyle of sacrifice that ultimately leads to receiving all the more from our Daddy God than we could ever give.
What I've discovered on this journey thus far is there's nothing I wouldn't do for the sake of the world to encounter Jesus' love.
In writing this, I don't glorify the mission field by painting a flowery picture of it; rather, I testify to the reality of what it means to follow Jesus with everything.
And he's worth it all ..
We survive reckless drivers attempting to arrive a few seconds earlier by swerving into incoming traffic or onto the sidewalk where innocent bystanders walk in order to pass the "slow" vehicle in front of us.
We wash ourselves in tiny spaces where mosquitos dwell and swarm us each time we dump the bucket water over us .. Or we don't bathe for days because water is scarce.
We accidentally place toiletry bags in poop from someone missing the squatty potty and manage not to barf in realizing that inconvenient truth.
We endure the sweltering heat by dressing from head-to-toe in the traditional garments to honor the culture that doesn't show their ankles or shoulders.
We smell our share of body odor from using public transportation or sitting close to friends at church where deodorant is a luxury at best or non-existent.
We spend a great deal of time squatting as a result of the local cuisine that sends us rushing to the hole in the ground to relieve our tummy troubles.
We grow accustomed to stares and strange looks when people see a white person for the first time. We also experience babies fearfully crying and wanting to escape from our grip even though their mothers hand them over, telling us to "take him or her back to America with you!"
We witness the heartbreak of extreme poverty and corruption as well as the destructive consequences of delusion in worshiping false gods and idols.
For the sake of the world, though, we count it all joy. For Jesus, our hearts resound with an enthusiastic "yes!"to make him known to all creation. Sacrifice may not be easy all the time but Papa fills us up with gladness to see Him glorified in our lives regardless of the cost.
There's no price we wouldn't pay to live this life of adventure in following Jesus.
