Mission work is overrated.
When I left for the World Race, many people reassured me that I was going to “change the world.” It seemed like my friends and family were so eager to hear the stories of the dead raised, the sick healed, and demons being cast out.
It’s truly flattering that anyone could really think I am capable of changing the world, and I sure would love the World Race to always look like it was a chapter taken out of the book of Acts, but so far, the reality is a bit less glamorous.
This week at ministry I chopped hot dogs, I swept floors, I washed dishes, I wrangled locos niños that couldn’t sit still long enough to learn one word of English, and I walked through the slums of Costa Rica feeling overwhelmed with the knowledge that any kind of influence I will have on this country is going to be infinitesimal and usually not very exciting.
And to be honest, that was pretty humbling. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that any kind of influence that I will have in the Kingdom of God is going to be infinitesimal and usually not very exciting.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe that the Kingdom of God awaits more willing vessels of power and spiritual authority to do the miraculous. But the Kingdom of God also awaits more humble servants who are willing to wake up at 5:30 A.M. to chop hot dogs and wash dishes. The Kingdom of God awaits a kind of people that are so invested in their love of the Father that they will take on even the most mundane tasks with joy and gratitude.
Every believer wants to be great for the Kingdom, as they should. What Jesus says about that is,
“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.”
and
“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
So for now, working for the Kingdom may not make for the coolest of blog posts, but I know that I am doing the Lord’s work.
The Lord made it clear to me that He has sent me here to serve the servants that will actually be here to see the lasting change and the revival and restoration in the years to come. He has asked me to drop my expectations and simply perform every task before me with willingness and an open heart.
Ministry is not about the impact that I can have on the world or the Kingdom, or about results at all. Ministry is what I choose to do because I have love in my heart and no better place to spend it. Ministry is about serving my Father as an offering to Him.
This upcoming week I will be back in the slums from 9-5 every day, hugging children and playing card games and cooking meals. And I will know that through every small effort and every smile, the Father is being glorified and heaven is being brought closer and closer. I’m starting small.
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I adore my ministry, Costa Rica, and my squad! It has been amazing to see the growth and maturity that is already happening in the hearts of all of my fellow racers. I can’t even imagine what the Lord has in store for the months to come.
Prayer Requests:
-That my ministry host, Devies, will gain favor in his work with the children, and that the Lord will consistently supply him with energy and patience and love
-That the children would be receptive to the love that is being poured over them at the Life Center and the Love at Work school
-That the Lord would eliminate comparison, distraction, and apathy from our squad so that we can be ready when He wants to use us for miraculous works of love
