If the World Race has taught me anything it’s that mission is a way of life. Mission isn’t a trip. It’s not something that’s going to get your instagram followers up.
Mission is who I am and it’s what I do. To me, living life on mission means that I’m stopping to talk to strangers who sell fig sandwiches from a cart on the sidewalk. It’s stopping to talk to a man handling free samples in Target.
Right now this mission of my life looks a lot like a trip to most people. In this season, for me, it looks like long, car sick induced bus rides and foreign countries. It looks like frustration at language barriers and celebration when their broken. It looks like going with team to team to their ministries and floating around and being all in for the time that I’m with them. It looks like sitting with people from the squad hearing about how He is answering their prayers and showing up in their lives.
This year, that’s my ministry.
But living life on mission means that we breakout of the box of “ministry”. It means that this thing called making disciples and letting people know who we serve by our love is our main way of thinking. It’s what happens subconsciously when we are just living our lives.
Living life on mission is pulling up an extra chair and asking the kid begging on the street to join us for lunch. It’s showing him that he is worthy of food and that he is not only worthy of food but he is worthy of enjoying it at a table. With utensils and a drink and napkin. That kid is worthy of us putting our phones down and engaging in conversation about school and home and dreams and God.
I am a big fan of rest and I am an even bigger fan of boundaries. Introverts love boundaries. Therefore, I am a fan of off days from ministry. But what I’m learning about the world and about people…
Off days don’t matter.
Take hold of the moment. See what’s in front of you. Play in puddles with kids. Play soccer in the street with more kids. Talk to the Starbucks barista. Stop and say hello to the homeless person while you’re out with your friends in downtown Birmingham.
Let your life be interrupted with the Kingdom.
The Good Samaritan wasn’t expecting to take care of a man for a few days. He did it anyway.
Why not stop and start a conversation? Why not let people know that they are seen by us and by the Lord?
This month I am in Quito, Ecuador with 50 crazy, cool college aged men and women because it is all squad month! Everyone is at different ministry sites and I am currently on my way home from a few days on the coast doing earthquake relief with a team. It’s been an incredible first week here. My co-leaders and I have met some really great people and I ask that you join me in prayer for a lady who goes by the name of Sylvia. I’m believing that she is going to make the Lord her savior before this month is over.
Also, feel free to give to my trip if you feel led!
