Go!

Last weekend at church was our missions weekend and we had the opportunity to hear some different missionaries tell of their work. They also challenged us to do what God is asking each of us to do. Some of us are called to go; some of us are called to be senders. Yet in Matthew 28, Jesus does tell all of us, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." We were also reminded that all of us have, in our own communities, some people of other nations. We don't always have to go to other nations to find people from other places. I have a friend who is involved with a college ministry that brings foreign students together with families willing to befriend them and invite them into their homes.She is reaching others in her own home because she is willing to open her home. Her home has become a welcoming place to many from other cultures.

One of the missionaries told us their organization had compiled reasons why someone could not go and serve. One of the top reasons not to go is family. Their family did not want them to do such a crazy thing. He told us they had compiled 127 reasons people had given them for not being able to go. Debt, no specific call, job, marriage, not enough money, no passport,... were some of them. For a long time, our main reason was elderly parents that needed us. God has taken them all home to be with Him. I can't use that one any more. What is your reason not to go? If you were asked to fulfill a certain mission, what would be your response? What would mine be?

My husband is listening to the book  Radical, by David Platt, and he is feeling guilty. I told him that wasn't the purpose, but rather it was to motivate him. Will God use these things to 'motivate' us into something new? Or do we need to be bolder, more courageous, just where we are? Do we need to have our eyes opened to needs close to our home?

I don't know for sure if this will lead to drastic changes for us or small changes, but it seems the Holy Spirit is speaking to our hearts to be willing. It scares me and it excites me. I pray my ears will be ready to hear and my eyes open to see and my heart ready to respond. I want to be obedient to His call, to do His will. When I am in His will, I am filled with His joy.