“Are you so excited?”
Rightfully so, Anna & I have gotten this question (or many florid derivatives of it) quite often over the past few months since announcing our decision to join the World Race. I have usually just responded with a “Yeah!” The truth is I would not have used the adjective “excited” to describe how I have been feeling in anticipation of the World Race.
I have viewed global missions as something that we are called to do as Christians, something that will impact us, will challenge us, will shape us. Something that will bring long-term benefits to our life and our marriage. While this is all true, lately I have been reflecting and have realized that this view belittles the work that God is doing.
In Matthew 6:34, Jesus says to us:
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.”
I am the type of person who views things through a big-picture lens and I am guilty of using this lens whilst considering this jump into missions. The fallacy I have found in viewing God’s work in my life exclusively through the big-picture lens is that it causes me to continually be looking at how each piece might fit into the Lord’s mysterious, 1000 piece puzzle that is life. In this way, it usually results in me being unable to appreciate the joy and excitement of the present. I have been too anxious and focused on how our impending year on the World Race might fit into our “big picture” to be truly excited for what he is doing right now.
Life (and 2020) is scary – but also so exciting. There is nothing wrong with considering how the Lord might work in and through us in 2020 and beyond – so long as we take time to appreciate what he has done, and what he is doing in our lives right now.
Let’s all take the challenge of living life excited.
Seth
Anna at Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia
