I used to think missions was about the masses. Feeding the 5,000, healing every sick person you come in contact with, seeing lots of miracles, sharing the gospel everyday and seeing lots of people come to Christ. That just isn’t the reality of it. I used to think that if I wasn’t actually sharing the gospel then what was the point? Wasn’t that what the Great Commission told us to do? Now being on the field for two months, I’ve realized there is actually so much more than sharing the gospel using words. At training camp we heard a talk on the Great Commission and instead of focusing on the words “make disciples” they focused on the word “go”. It brought light to the importance of being obedient to God’s calling rather than focusing on what it will look like in the end. God has told me to “go” a lot here in Costa Rica. To go and share the story of Esther completely in Spanish to just one child. To go and help be a part of a gardening class when I know absolutely nothing about gardening and only one woman shows up. To go and pray for one man on crutches because he needs healing and his friends with him need to see the power of Jesus’ name. To go and give the word you got from the Father to a teammate even when it doesn’t make complete sense. To go and spin one little girl 100 times because you can’t say no when the sweetest little voice is yelling “otra vez!” in between her giggles. To go and sing Little Sally Walker over and over again because one little girl wants to dance.
Missions isn’t about the masses, it is about the one. The one that the Father leaves the 99 for. I’m learning that the Father is intentional, personal, and so very compassionate. He seeks the hurting, the lonely, the outcasts, and each one of us so beautifully. He seeks out his children through us. When we love the one, they see the Father loving them. I’m also learning that missions is life, and life is missions. When we are walking in the Spirit, life at home shouldn’t look different from life at church or life on a mission trip. Seeking out “the one” doesn’t start at the slums and end when I get on the bus. When we allow God to transform our hearts and our eyes we begin to see the person giving us our Starbucks order as someone God wants to speak to. We look at the people in our families as gifts from the Father instead of people we look to for affirmation. We look in the mirror and see a son or daughter instead of the all things we would change. The more we realize that God is pursuing us as the one, the more we will seek out the one right in front of us. Loving the one means starting a conversation with a stranger because they are by themselves. Loving the one is denying your own comfort or time with your friends to love the people you aren’t as close to. Loving the one is being obedient when God says to go. And when we go, we get to see that power within us on display. God sent his ONE and only Son to die on the cross so we could live out the freedom to love the one. When we love the one we are never disappointed because for once, it isn’t all about us.
