There’s a certain danger that comes along with mission work. I’m sure some of you are probably sitting there saying, “Duh!” but I can almost guarantee we’re not thinking the same thing. You see, I’m not referring to a literal danger. Sure, being a missionary can be dangerous and it can even get you killed in many places around the world…but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m referring to the danger behind falling victim to a certain way of thinking. This way of thinking, though at first seems positive and propels you to action, leads to your demise as you take the weight of the world on your shoulders. You start getting discouraged by what you’re not doing instead of staying focused on what you are doing. You lose site of those you are helping because you’re so preoccupied with those you haven’t. Sure, a certain degree of vision is always helpful and looking to spread seeds outward is never a bad thing, but when we fall victim to the belief that we need to save this world, we’re only setting ourselves up for disappointment.
I recently read an article entitled “What Jesus Didn’t Do” that really helped bring some of this home. The following is an excerpt from that article
If you wanted to meet every American in your lifetime, you’d have about 10 seconds to shake hands with each person and exchange names. It would take one hundred years. You couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and most importantly couldn’t wash your hands. (I bet you’d get real sick.)
In other words, it would be impossible. There is no way you could meet every single American in your lifetime. I was pondering this fact recently when someone told me that the world population at the time of Jesus was likely similar to that of modern day America.
After considering this for a while, I came to a bold conclusion. Steady yourself. Call me crazy, but I concluded that Jesus did not meet every person on Earth in his 30-plus years here. I’m not saying He couldn’t have. I’m just saying He probably didn’t. Now, certainly He ministered to hundreds and thousands; Scripture is clear about that. But the larger part of the world He probably never spoke to. It’s likely there were sick people that He didn’t heal, miserable people He didn’t comfort and hungry people He never fed.
I think there is something important to learn here, but we must be clear. As we read the gospels, we see Jesus always quick to heal anyone who came to Him. He wasn’t running away from crowds or screaming at the mob of lepers like in the famous scene in Jesus Christ Superstar.
He was more than willing and able. It’s just that He had only a certain amount of time and a certain group of people to whom He was called to minister. And that’s it. He came to do His Father’s will and nothing else.
It may sound strange to say it, but the idea has lifted a great burden off my shoulders since it came into my mind. Jesus, whom we are to imitate, had a finite to-do list in His earthly life.
So do you.
He goes on to talk about how we need to remember that we are all a part of the body of Christ and are called to play our specific role. How often do we forget we are merely a part of the body and not the body itself? I know I do. It’s this way of thinking that gets us down, that has us feeling like we’re not doing enough. We need to always remember that the body of Christ is a team effort.
