The more time I spend on the race, the more uncomfortable I get with the word “missions.” It comes up over and over again in conversations with the new friends that we make along the way.
“How long have you been traveling?”
“We’re on month 9!”
“Oh wow…that’s crazy…did you just decide to take a year off to travel?”
“Well…not really. We signed up with a Christian missions organization for the year.”
“Oh that’s cool…so what exactly do you do as you go?”
“Well…sometimes we work with local Christian organizations, but mostly, as we go, we meet people, do life with them, and share the love of God.”
*insert awkward pause*
That’s not exactly how every conversation goes, but it happens pretty regularly. I’ve found that people generally don’t quite know how to respond once it gets to that last sentence. Sometimes it ends up being a really cool open door for us to talk about how good God is. But, too often, conversations can shut down pretty quickly.
I’m usually curious in those moments, when people hear us describe our purpose on our journey, if they might start wondering if they’re going to be our next project…our mission. Then I think back to times I’ve felt like a project, and I never really liked it.
I’ve found that it’s difficult to develop real, lasting friendships with people when one person feels like they are a means to an end. I don’t think everyone feels this way when they hear us describe our year, but there have been some cringe-worthy moments, where I could tell the person across from me was tensing up, waiting for me to try to evangelize them, and looking for their opportunity to exit the conversation.
All of that to say, I’ve started rethinking how I want to approach a lot of those conversations, because I think there’s something truer that I could say anyway. Let’s try this again:
“How long have you been traveling?”
“We’re on month 9!”
“Oh wow…that’s crazy…did you just decide to take a year off to travel?”
“Well…not really. We all signed up to travel with a Christian organization for the year.”
“Oh that’s cool…so what exactly do you do as you go?”
“Well…it’s really a year set aside for practicing living life with God. It’s an opportunity to really focus on taking our faith seriously by practicing the ways of Jesus in all types of different cultures and circumstances.”
The truth is, with that mindset, we’re going to be sharing the hope of the gospel with people. We just are. Jesus brought hope everywhere he went. But it never seemed like anyone (maybe minus the religious leaders) felt weird about Jesus’ motives. He would literally change whatever atmosphere he entered, because wherever he entered, the Kingdom of God entered too. I really believe that people regularly left conversations with Jesus feeling that he cared about them as people…not just projects. As I walk through the world I want people to know that they really matter to me…whether Jesus appeals to them or not. And I really do think that’s the way God approaches people too.
I’ve heard my friend, Seth Bouchelle, say “We don’t have an agenda for other people. We have an agenda for ourselves.” Our whole agenda should be to become such followers of Christ that whatever setting we’re in, we bring the fruit of the spirit with us, and as a result impact that atmosphere. There should be no doubt, wherever we are, that we carry something different, because we should be living lives so open to God that he’s constantly able to transform us, little by little, into the image of his son. If we allow that to happen, God will work through us to share hope with people, just like he did through Jesus. Our agenda should be to become people who truly love God and truly love people.
People might not end up being interested in Jesus, but they should be able to tell that we’re committed disciples by the way we treat others, and the way we live our lives. And most of all, when they leave us, they should leave believing that they were genuinely seen and loved. Because as we become more and more shaped into the image of Christ, we’re being shaped into the image of the truest love in the universe. People should feel that from every Christ-follower they encounter, even if they never become interested in following Jesus too.
As I’ve started to think this way…I’ve noticed a lot of freedom in it. Freedom to enjoy moments with people. Freedom to let a souvenir shop owner escort me and my team into her place of business, dress us up, and have a mini dance party. Freedom to invite people to dinner and hear their incredible stories. Freedom to walk into a marketplace for lunch, and choose a place to sit based on which food vendor needs customers instead of just what food sounds best in that moment. Freedom to take an entire day just to rest and listen to God. Freedom to see people. To think of them as wholes…not just souls.
The truth is…it’s God’s mission anyway. He’s the one constantly pursuing people. He just invites us to join him as co-laborers. As a team, we’re always looking for opportunities to share how cool God is, and how much he loves his children. Those opportunities come up a lot. But sometimes life on the race simply looks like a warm smile, a generous tip, a listening ear, a joke made in passing, or a cold cup of water. Sometimes it looks like frequenting the same coffee shop over and over again for two weeks, hoping to build a friendship with the barista. Sometimes it’s helping a hostel owner learn how to promote his business and helping him prepare his property so that he’s ready to receive his first guests. Sometimes it’s taking the time to just make sure people feel seen in a world where people are constantly rushing past each other.
As you do life with Christ, I hope you come to experience the freedom of truly loving God and loving people, simply because they’re amazing, and not just because you’re supposed to. It really does change everything.
