What if what I say I believe is real, really is real?
What if there really is a huge and perfect creator of the universe, the being I call God?
What if a man named Jesus really did exist, and He really did do what the Bible says…what if every word of the Bible came from the mouth of God Himself?
What if there really is a Spirit that is constantly with me, giving me wise counsel and divine understanding?
What if the course of the history of the world really does depend on how and where I step into the purpose for which the creator of the universe made me?
What if this Holy Being really DOES know every hair on my head, and loves me more than any human mind could even begin to comprehend?
I want to take my faith seriously. I don’t want to flounder around in American culture professing to being a Christian only when a moment calls for it, when I think I want to be a “better person” for a while, or when it fits my agenda.
Because the thing is, I really DO believe all of the “what ifs” I listed above. I believe in the existence of God; I have seen far too many strange and unlikely “coincidences” that are actually answered prayers happen on this trip.
There is boundless historical evidence that supports the existence of the Jesus Christ we know in the Bible, and I believe the shedding of His blood is the only reason I can even talk to God, let alone be beautiful and perfect in His eyes.
And in order for either of the above to be true, I must also believe that every word of the Bible was perfectly spoken and planned out by the Author and Perfecter of life itself.
And I believe that one day I will stand before God Almighty and together He and I will recall every single thing I have ever done.
Call me unoriginal, but one of my favorite passages in all of scripture is the Great Commission in Matthew 28.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all the I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always until the very end of the age.”
Coming on the World Race, I had spent ample time in the peace and quiet and comfort of my own little life imagining what living out Matthew 28 would mean.
Between passion-filled worship songs about following God and loving His people, books about radically abandoning the life we know to seek God in a deeper way, and mission-trip videos of people holding orphans, I have to tell you…the Great Commission turned into a very romanticized and exciting thing in my mind.
My loving Father in Heaven knew I was in for a bit of a surprise, for a bit of reality shock this year. I have always said I wanted to be truly devoted to the cause of Christ, to do anything He asks me to…but what does this really look like?
Our contacts in Cambodia…Ted, Janeth, Seth, and Samol…are living, walking, breathing examples of taking the gospel to untouched corners of the world and making disciples. They have left their homes and families and comforts to learn a new language and live life in a third world village with people interested in learning about Jesus Christ.
And so what does that end up really looking like? Lately I am feeling more and more like I have an incredible mission field in hospital nursing, but what if I were to feel called to third world village life for the sake of the gospel?
I would be hot 99% of the time. I would struggle to communicate the simplest things, let alone be able to discuss theology with people, until I have spent years learning the language. I would not have reliable internet, meaning effective contact with my family may be rare. I may spend weeks, months, and years trying to simply build enough trust with people to even BEGIN to share what I believe and why.
I would have to hold myself accountable for planning and carrying out Bible studies, which would be held in the hot, humid, mosquito-infested shanty homes of the villagers. I would have to fundraise my entire income to support myself. I could invest my entire life in one small place and group of people, and yet still see very little visible progress towards people understanding the Gospel of Jesus.
But again I say…what IF? What if I do this, and then I stand before God at the end of it all and He beams down at me and says “Thank you. You didn’t always understand your part in this puzzle, but you were faithful to being the piece of it that I created you to be. You trusted Me and sought Me, and you were not afraid to be lacking in your flesh because you knew that your spirit would be abundantly blessed and My name would be glorified throughout eternity because of it.”
As this year progresses, I learn more and more about how the Great Commission looks in so many arenas of life, and not just the third world. I am at a point in my life and in my Race where I am feeling equally drawn to ministry opportunities at home in hospital nursing and to ministry in third world villages. Maybe God will do both with my life.
Either way, I can say with full confidence that people like Ted, Janeth, Seth, and Sam-ol
are going to be so, so blessed for their devotion to the purpose given to them by our Father, despite how much it may challenge them on this side of eternity. I owe them so much thanks for how much they have inspired me with their fearless and selfless commitment.
"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39
