"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of The Father and of The Son and of the Holy Spirit." -Matthew 28:19
That's the great commission, and chances are, especially if you live in the south, that you've heard that verse quoted many times before.
But the surprising part is that the thought isn't complete without verse 20, which states:
"and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to very end of the age."
Verse 19 without verse 20 is an incomplete picture, and can lead us to believe that we can somehow complete this great commission on our own, when in fact we don't stand a chance by ourselves.
This is true for several reasons, and one of those reasons is that there are parts involved with acting out the great commission that are extremely difficult. And one of the hardest parts was brought up with this question:
"I see you with so many children, is it hard to leave them at the end of every month?"
It's brutal. Saying goodbye to family and loved ones first, then saying it to 11 more groups of people that become your family along the way is so hard.
Because God wired me to be a relational person, I fall fast into deep relationships. I fall in love with people, in love with a culture, with a nation, and then in a month I have to say goodbye so that I can prepare during travel days to do it all over again with another language, nation, people, and culture.
I've learned that I can't go into each month thinking about the goodbye though, because if I dwell on the goodbye I will never fully invest into the people I'm with and serving. Abba puts it this way:
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…"
-Matthew 6:34
So instead of focusing on the end I have to ask Jesus to do something only he can do: make my heart bigger. Its a prayer so many of us on B squad have prayed thanks to our wonderful alumni squad leader who shared that very prayer for her own heart with us.
So at the beginning of each month, right after I just get done saying some hard goodbyes, I ask Abba to make my heart bigger so that I can love again in the next place he puts me.
When Its hard Abba reminds me that it's worth it because the race is the plan He has for me. When he orchestrated this plan he knew goodbyes would be apart of it, so I trust that he is faithful to give me what I need in the midst of the tough stuff.
Some things never get easier, no matter how many times you do them. But the good part about those tough situations is that God doesn't wait to meet us on the other side, he walks through the tough stuff WITH us. I praise him that every month he puts people in my life that make goodbyes so hard.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
– Joshua 1:9
