How never to be content again

There's a loose sting on the end of my jeans, and I've been meaning to cut it off for at least a week now.

 

This is an insanely simple, yet accurate description of how crazy busy my life is.  I am an extremely disciplined person, and my housemates would laugh at how much of an understatement that is. I make lists of lists of lists, and checking things off of said lists is like crack to me. This to say, it's not because of airheadedness that I haven't cut that little string off of my jeans. Frankly, it's because I don’t have any time. I feel like every second of every day is filled with something. And being in full-time ministry is exhausting in every way: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. However, I want you to know that being a missionary is, in some ways, just as mundane as any other career path (if being a missionary counts as a career path). I go grocery shopping every Monday. I do my laundry on Wednesdays. Once a week I make dinner for our whole intern "family." Our weekly schedule looks more or less the same every week.

 

There is mundane in every career path.

 

It is easy, even living in South Africa, to lose yourself in the routine of everyday life.  It's easy to wake up on a normal Wednesday, go to Diepsloot extension 12, recite some rehearsed lines about God and the Bible all day, probably hang out and wash clothes with some people along the way, load up at about 4:30, go home, do my laundry, eat dinner, do homework, and go to bed. Every Wednesday. Over and over and over.

I have to ask God every day to make me excited about ministry. I have to ask Him to keep my heart open and learning and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I have to ask Him to keep me from becoming hard, each day just trying to make it to the time when we load up and go home.

 

Here's the point I'm trying to make:

Your life is NO different than mine.

 

Sure, you probably don’t live in a foreign country. Ministry probably isn’t considered your main occupation. You probably don't find yourself eating mopani worms, ostrich, or zebra, or washing someone's clothes by hand in a squatter camp on a normal day. But the contents of your day do not determine what you can do with that day. I can say with confidence that you have every opportunity to share the Gospel and/or God's love in your day that I do in mine.  You're a stay at home mom? Cool. Did you know that you are the main source for the message of the Gospel to your kids? Did you know that the way you raise them can set them on a path that will glorify God or turn away from Him? Did you know that your kids were born with a sin nature, and that your influence will likely be the one that leads them to Christ?? That sounds pretty missionary-ish to me. You work in an office? Awesome. Did you know you could be the only representation of Jesus some of your co-workers experience on a daily basis? Did you know that you have the ability to show them the love of Jesus?? Did you know that your influence can reverse all the bad experiences they may or may not have had with the church? Did you know that if you are intentional, you can be the vessel God uses to change someone's life and turn their hearts toward Him? That sounds pretty missionary-ish to me.

 

Please, please, please, if you get NOTHING ELSE out of this blog post, please understand that the great commission is not an option, and it's not meant for a special elite group of people called missionaries. It's meant for you, specifically. There are people who, every day that they live, are marching towards the gates of hell unless someone throws themselves in their way and gives everything they are to stop them. And yes, though the majority of people who haven't heard the Gospel are outside of the United States (or even South Africa for that matter), God has placed you where you are, and until He calls you elsewhere, you have the responsibility to lead people to Christ where you are.  I wish I could reach through my keyboard across continents to your heart right now and make you feel the absolute desperation in my heart.

 

Know this: God's love is fiercely jealous, and He is pursuing every soul that isn’t following Him. He wants desperately to give you His heart for the lost. Sometimes this whole thing is overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like there are so many unreached and unbelievers that we could never reach everyone. Sometimes it feels like there isn't even enough love and passion for the lost to go around. But just do this, and see if God does not give you a burden for the lost: ask Him. That's it. Ask Him to give you a heart for the lost.

But receive this warning: if you ask, He will give it to you, and you will NEVER be content to just sit around and wait for people to die and go to hell anymore. The passion He gives you won't allow it.