When I moved for each of my internships, and when I moved to Iowa,
I recognized myself as a spiritual and social person. I knew that a
healthy lifestyle for me means being one among a close family of people
who embrace Christ and what He offers, and being diligent about living a
life of purpose. As I often remind myself, good big decisions make a
man of principle; good little decisions make a man of action.
People have asked me, especially my family and close friends, “Why
an eleven-month missions trip? Isn’t that a little extreme?”. During
the next year, I will be at the mercy of those I have committed to
serve. When the shock has worn off, when compassion begins to fade, I
will be held accountable by my teammates. And finally, when I begin to
take even them for granted, I will be forced to make good
little decisions, because of the commitment I have made, because you have sent
me as a steward of your resources and your prayers. After months in the
field, there will be days when – despite the cries for help around me – I
will want to give up and take a day off. I have learned there is
no ‘taking a day off’ from being a Christian. If I am His, I am His all the
time, and though a rebellious heart will always beat inside me, I mustn’t ever allow myself to forget for long who my Creator and my Savior is. We have only a finite amount of time in this world, and we
cannot afford in our lives to take two steps back, one step forward.
an eleven-month missions trip? Isn’t that a little extreme?”. During
the next year, I will be at the mercy of those I have committed to
serve. When the shock has worn off, when compassion begins to fade, I
will be held accountable by my teammates. And finally, when I begin to
take even them for granted, I will be forced to make good
little decisions, because of the commitment I have made, because you have sent
me as a steward of your resources and your prayers. After months in the
field, there will be days when – despite the cries for help around me – I
will want to give up and take a day off. I have learned there is
no ‘taking a day off’ from being a Christian. If I am His, I am His all the
time, and though a rebellious heart will always beat inside me, I mustn’t ever allow myself to forget for long who my Creator and my Savior is. We have only a finite amount of time in this world, and we
cannot afford in our lives to take two steps back, one step forward.
So, over the course of this next
year, I will be challenged, I will be stretched, I will be broken. I will be
conditioned. And when I return, God willing, I will be stronger, closer
to Him, and I will have a greater ability to see His children as He sees
us – all of us. I will be one step closer to fulfilling and understanding my whole
purpose, and better able to recognize His path each time I make
a little decision. And one day when I am old – I pray – I will see
continuity and much fruit in a life that has taken many turns.
year, I will be challenged, I will be stretched, I will be broken. I will be
conditioned. And when I return, God willing, I will be stronger, closer
to Him, and I will have a greater ability to see His children as He sees
us – all of us. I will be one step closer to fulfilling and understanding my whole
purpose, and better able to recognize His path each time I make
a little decision. And one day when I am old – I pray – I will see
continuity and much fruit in a life that has taken many turns.
As a summary of all I’ve said in my posts so far:
* I don’t have extensive missions experience
* I am an ordinary, selfish, privileged young guy who has been blessed more than he deserves
* I have a family who loves me
* I enjoy a Western lifestyle, sometimes I think too much…
* I expect The World Race will cause me to be a better person
* I expect The World Race will cause me to be a better Christian
* I expect to share God’s love
* I expect to share God’s gift
* I expect to meet at least one person who has never heard of Jesus
* I expect to learn more about the cost of making Godly decisions
* I trust others will grow through this blog
