What makes a mechanic put down his wrenches and impact guns? What could cause him to put his toolbox in storage, and say “I might be good at this, but I’m going to do something else for a year.” Why would a mechanic give up his livelihood to be a missionary? These are the questions going through my head while I keep trying to figure out how to be exactly that: a missionary. At times, I feel like I shouldn’t be doing this because I’m only a mechanic. Then I think about everyone supporting me, and I wonder what they think of me doing this World Race thing.
“Lucas is quiet, and a mechanic. What can he offer to the world? What can he do on a mission trip?”
I really like the title of this blog. It’s catchy, but it’s also dangerous. I put that title on myself for the last month because I really am the mechanic missionary, the M&M if you will (maybe I should make it a hashtag for myself, #MechanicMissionary). There’s a problem though. Being a mechanic has become my identity. It has defined who I am. Over the last month, and even back before I started, this has caused me to doubt my call to be on this mission trip. I keep thinking, “I am a mechanic. Why am I doing something that doesn’t require my skills or give me a chance to do what I believe I am; a mechanic.”
I’m on a journey to find the real me, what God thinks of me, and what He has made me to be like. Over the last couple years, I have been a mechanic first. It’s who I am, it’s what I did, and now it has become my comfort zone. This is a lie though. I’m NOT a Mechanic Missionary. I am a son of God that works as a mechanic. Maybe I should have realized that a long time ago. It might seem like a subtle change in words, but it means a lot. As lies swarm into my head and flood me with questions about who I am and why I’m here, this change in words can send all those lies away. Yeah, I’m a mechanic, but I’m a Son of God first. So, I’ll do His work first. Therefore, when I am doing something completely different than who I think I am, I remember that I am not “Mechanic Lucas,” I am Lucas, son of God. When I am preaching in a church, singing in front of a church, trying to entertain kids, or creating vulnerable blogs, I am not a Mechanic Missionary. I am a son of God doing what He has called me to do.
God has given me confidence because He has given me a skill in mechanics. I am here because God wants me to be more, and I am working on that. My strengths involve mechanics, cooking, building, and being a man of peace and patience. I believe my weaknesses are; writing, speaking, reading, socializing, asking for help, etc. I like to be alone a lot, and I don’t make friends easily. I know God knows my strengths. I know He knows me. But He put me in this place where my weaknesses have to be strengths. I am in this place where my strengths are not used all the time. Lucas the Mechanic can’t make good blogs, or talk well in front of a church, but Lucas the Christian can. Look at who Jesus called to be his disciples; he called a few fishermen to be fishers of men. Knowing this, what would Jesus say to me? What would he say to you? I think Jesus would say to me: “Lucas, come with me. I see you can fix engines, transmissions and everything else. But Lucas, I need you to put down that wrench and impact gun to come help me fix the hearts and lives of my people around the world. Follow me, Lucas. You won’t regret it.”
I feel like that’s what God has called me to do this year and every year for as long as I live.
We can all get in this mindset of thinking that what we do is who we are. This in turn keeps us from doing things that don’t fit with the false identity we created. As I’m on this journey, I’ve realized that it might be a mental trap that all Americans have slipped into. Maybe I’m on this boat alone, but take a minute and look at yourself. Ask yourself and pray about it…. “How do I see me?” Seeing yourself as God’s child before anything on your resume is completely against culture. As Christians, let’s stop letting culture tell us that we are what we do for a living. We are so much more than that. Stop limiting your life on your vocation. You were called to be a son or daughter of God, and in that identity there are no limits.
