One of the most interesting dynamics of our decision to move into missions is the reaction of others. While many are bewildered by it, we have found many Christians who have reacted with jealousy and statements like “I wish I could do that.” Their wishing bewilders us. Having already taken the pill and having leapt off our matrix, we look at those who say they wish they could join us and have no response but, “Great! Do it.”
But, thinking of where we were even just one year ago, we realize that when you are on that other side leaving your career fro the mission field looks impossible. For years, we simply did not see any way to make the leap.
We had kids, a mortgage, two cars and great jobs. We went on vacations. I mean, that is the American dream, right?! And, there’s that thing called debt to support all of the above. So, why is it, with all that, we still considered and longed for mission work, and dozens of people have reacted with “I wish we could do that!”?
If that truly is your wish, and you have prayed about it and God is confirming that in your heart, then I believe you can and should, in the words of a famous cobbler, “Just Do It!”
It isn’t easy and you may be thinking… how can I know? How do I hear His voice or how would I know if He is confirming such a move? I remember as a child, reading through the bible, coming across these three verses and God spoke mightily to me through them. Can you remember stumbling across verses that you just knew were for you? Well, Proverbs 15:16-18 hit me like that.
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.”
Another verse that hit me like a load of bricks because of its great promise was 2 Peter 1:3-4:
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
I didn’t realize it then, but these verses were preparing me for today. In chasing the “American dream” I forgot these verses. And, as I grew in all things worldly, our family grew in turmoil and struggled to find Him and experience vibrant, intimate relationships within our family. We struggled with angry outbursts, rarely sat down to a meal together, and were always on the run because quiet times together were just too difficult. We didn’t live life and godliness and definitely weren’t participating in the divine nature even though God had given us everything we needed to do so. We were frustrated, tired, and confused as to why our lives didn’t reflect the promises of God. We had enough faith and sense to realize that the problem didn’t lie with God…
If you find yourself in the same place, and you have this niggling thought that God may be calling you to go into missions, then I’d suggest that perhaps your struggle is the result of not following His call on your life. We can always know that to follow His word is to follow His will, and we know that He told us all to go and make disciples in all the world.
After we jumped off that merry-go-round and found ourselves cramped together truly eating meals of vegetables (romaine lettuce and rice), but realized how much we loved one another and needed one another, we awakened to the life we had been missing. I am sure that for those who are called to live the American dream, but to do so in a way that truly reflects of life of following Jesus, God gives them the ability to live abundantly right where they are, but for those who are like us, we simply couldn’t. Seek Him first, go wherever He leads, and everything else will follow.