Going on a missions trip is like having a baby. All you think about is the end result.
You dream of the day you have that perfect baby and buy the cute little clothes and get to teach them to ride a bike and you just can't waaaaiit to be a parent and do all these great things. Despite what people have told you of how tough it is, how much your life will change, you brush it off and imagine your perfect little fun life as a parent and all the things you're going to do with your cute little kid.
Oh wait… but then there's those 9 months leading up to that extremely life changing moment a life is born.
You sit down with your doctor time after time after time again and all those med bills add up. Oh, and then you start thinking about college savings. And clothes. And formula. And diapers…
DIAPERS!? Okay, I knew babies needed those things (wait, for a couple years!?) but I had no idea how MUCH they would add up all of those years!
Ohhhh and you didn’t realize you’d have to buy ALL new clothes for yourself too because you will change so much and get fat. Crap, I didn’t really think about the cost of buying a new wardrobe just for 9 months.
Pre-natal vitamins
Car seat
TOYS
Bottles
Baby monitor
Stroller
The list is absolutely endless.
You’re freaking out. Okay, this is maybe gonna be a little harder than I thought. I knew in the end the result would be glorifying but I didn’t really consider all these expenses! Now I’m kind of freaking out! But I’m still excited. I mean I’m going to have a BABY this will be LIFECHANGING and it will ALL be worth it in the end.
You might even have supportive friends and family around to give you a baby shower and hand-me-downs so there’s some free blessings right there!
But even still…… these months leading up can be kind of stressful because you’re still trying to go to work full-time and save save save while attempting to paint, purchase, and prepare a baby room.
Then the baby comes.
Your heart is so full of love you think you’re about to explode and all those perfect ideas of being a parent return.
Then it’s month 4. And you haven’t slept an entire night in what seems like forever. Now you’re cranky. You love your baby so much as you ooo and ahhh at it hour after hour… but you’re still having a hard time adjusting to this new language and figuring our what he/she wants everytime they cry. It’s frustrating. Life isn’t pretty and easy and perfect right now. But you know this little thing in your arms now will change the world one day. Do great things. Be so smart.
Now you and your spouse are living off of one income for a while. All those savings, dang, that got used up quickly and easily after some more surprise expenses and complications with the child. Now things are rough.
Thankfully, you have a Father who loves you and is quick to drop everything He’s doing at any moment to come to your house, by your side, to help you in any way you may need Him. Yeah, He’s a busy guy, but He loves you way more. He’s there to help you. Buy you more diapers. Fill those prescriptions for you. Even finish painting the room you didn’t have time to getting around to finish. And while He’s there, He never fails to even give you some words of wisdom for this road. After all, He’s been at this Himself quite a while, as He taught and nurtured you to maturity.
And not just that one little person in your arms is growing anymore, you’re growing yourself. And learning. And maturing. Learning to little to that little voice in a new way. You start to understand it. You’ve heard that Voice before but never really quite understood it as you do now. You’re almost an expert. You hear the Voice in the night as it wakes you and you say, “Yes, what is it now? Huh? What are you trying to tell me?” Learning this language takes time and practice, but you’ll get it. It will become easier to hear and understand. And once you do, once you understand what the Voice is saying, it will be LIFECHANGING… for you and others.
You see, going on a missions trip is like having a baby. All you think about is the glamorous outcome. You don’t harp on the difficult months leading up, or even those first few difficult months of transition. Or even the expenses. But you know in both cases that you have a Father who loves you and who will provide.
And most importantly, your life will be changed forever. And not just your life. but your parents life. Your friends’ lives. Strangers. And most importantly, the baby that you love and nurture to grow and to live a life in Christ who will go change the world.
Nepali children hearing the story of Jesus for the first time. May 2012.
