Is it worth it?
So here’s crazy story. One day we met a lady named Candace from the United States in a bathroom. We were at a TGI Fridays in the mall. She and her husband and two boys are living in Trujillo, Peru. And as it turns out, they are missionaries. We knew the moment that we started talking to her that it was a divine appointment, we were both meant to be in that TGI Friday’s that afternoon and we were supposed to feel the need get up and to go to the bathroom at the exact same time so that our paths would cross. During our short exchange with her, she mentioned that they were currently working on trying to help out with the relief work after the flooding and the mudslides that wreaked havoc all over Trujillo and that they were a little short handed. Our eyes lit up, we had been wanting to get involved with the flood relief in anyway that we could, but didn’t know how and we quickly replied, “Well here’s 14 more hands that are more than willing to help you all out.”
And so we got her number and we called her up a few days later and we discussed days and times that worked best for both of us and on one of our off days she picked us up bright and early to take us to help out at their ministry. I knew from the moment I woke up that morning that there was something special about this day. I could just feel it in my bones that it was going to be a great day, one of those days that you want to just sit and soak up every single little moment because you don’t want to ever forget even the tiniest little detail because every single second is just stuffed with so much goodness.
Our day consisted of trips to the local market to buy supplies, preparing care packages to give to the people in the areas that has been most severely affected by the flooding and mudslides, playing games and doing arts and crafts with kids living in the displacement camps, handing out the care packages with food and water that we had prepared earlier in the day, and being treated to the most amazing dinner-Starbucks and Pizza Hut. The day was stuffed full with good company and life-giving conversations and silly jokes and lots of laughs and just all the good things.
Then, they invited us to go to church service with them at another one of the displacement camps that night. And then, they asked if we would help lead worship and preach at the service. Wait what?! You want us to help lead worship and preach at the service TONIGHT?! You know butterflies in your stomach, heart beating so fast you think it might explode, kind of feel like you might be sick right there feeling. Yeah, that’s the one I got right after they asked us that. And even though it scared the poop out of me and I didn’t have anything prepared and I’m not very comfortable singing in front of anything that’s not my shower curtain, I knew we were supposed to be at service that night, I could just feel it in my soul that this was the reason that we met these missionaries in a random bathroom in a random mall on a random day in Trujillo, Peru.
As soon as we got to the displacement camp, I could feel it in the air that the Holy Spirit was about to move, He was here and He was ready to do work. And you know that stomach dropping, heart pounding feeling I told you about earlier. Yeah, that was the Lord’s way of telling me that He wanted me to get up and preach that night. It was one of those dear Lord please show up and do this thing because there’s no way on earth I can do this on my own moments. And so we set up for service and then Candace got up and sang some worship songs in Spanish and then we got up and we sang some worship songs in English and then I got up and preached. I talked about the fall of Jericho and how sometimes on the outside it can look like nothing is happening and what you are doing can feel pointless and foolish and it can seem like the walls are never going to fall down; but God is at work even when we can’t see it, He’s up to something, we just have to trust that He is going to do what He said He will do in His own timing. The walls will fall down and God will give enemies into our hands and He will deliver us into our Promised Land and the moment that He does will be so worth all the early mornings of waking up and marching around that city. But we can’t give up, we can’t throw in the towel too early, because if we do, if the Israelites wouldn’t have made it to day 7, if on the seventh day they would’ve stopped marching the sixth time around, they would have never seen the walls fall. So we have to keep going and trust that God is faithful, that He is a man of His word.
And as I was finishing up my sermon, I felt like the Spirit leading me to give people the opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts. So I took a leap of faith and threw the invitation out there. I told them that God wants to knock down walls in their lives and that we can put our trust in Him because He is faithful and He will surely do it. He will never let us down. And that the invitation to follow Jesus is open to anyone, no matter how lost and broken we may feel and that through Jesus everyone, no matter what we’ve done or who we are, is offered the free gift of eternal life. All we have to do it believe in Him. And then the translator asked for all the people who wanted to receive Jesus to raise their hands. And then awkward silence. Everyone just looked around at each other. Not one single person raised their hand.
And as I was looking around at the crowd, I couldn’t help but feel like a failure, like it was my own fault that none of these people wanted to receive Jesus, like I had done something wrong. Once I had put myself out there and thrown out the invitation, I was sure that people were going to be saved that night. But my heart wasn’t in the right place. I wanted to see people be saved for myself, for my own bragging rights, for my own glory, to be able to say that because of my words people had been saved. And that’s when God said to me, “Is it worth it? Is it worth it to get up there and tell people about Jesus and feel like a fool even if you don’t get to see salvation tonight, even if you just get to plant the seeds and extend the invitation, but you don’t get to see the fruits? Is it still worth it?” And that stopped me right in my tracks. Of course it is worth it! That’s why I came on the world race, to tell people all over the world about Jesus! It’s not about me and it’s not about boasting in what I’ve done and it’s not about me getting the glory. It’s not my words that are going to save people, it’s not my words that were spoken tonight, it’s His words that were spoken through me, He is the one who is mighty to save. It’s about Him and making Him famous because He deserves all the recognition. All of my bragging rights come from Him and what He’s done for me.
And as soon as I got my heart in check, the craziest thing happened. One little man shyly raised his hand. And so we invited him up to the front so that we could pray with him. And as we were praying with this one man, God spoke to me again. He said, “What about now? Is it worth it? There’s lots of people in this crowd, but it is worth it for just this one little man? To get to welcome just this one little man into the forever fam? Is it still worth it?” Of course it’s worth it! If it was worth it just to make the name of Jesus known to these people, to just plant the seeds alone, then of course it is worth it for this one little man, to see one little fruit! If Jesus thought that it was worth it to die on the cross just for little ole me, of course it’s worth me being a little uncomfortable for this one little man!
And as I opened my eyes after praying with this one little man, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Lots of other people had come to join us in the front wanting to receive Jesus as well. And you best believe it was worth it for them too! Because here’s the truth, JESUS IS ALWAYS WORTH IT!
