{Vote for your favorite Pinterest Challenge Piece here}
A few years ago I wrote a handful of articles for a women's magazine called "Radiant". (If you've heard of Relevant, it was the women's version of that). I really enjoyed writing these articles and thought I'd share them here every now and then. You didn't know I was a published author, did you?!
A few years ago I wrote a handful of articles for a women's magazine called "Radiant". (If you've heard of Relevant, it was the women's version of that). I really enjoyed writing these articles and thought I'd share them here every now and then. You didn't know I was a published author, did you?!
Writing is in my blood. I loved it - even before I had my own blog. So... taking you back to my very first one: February 2006
*************************************************************
“Mishaps in Ministry”
Having my parents over to my college apartment for dinner could
only mean one thing – there was something serious to be said. We awkwardly talked through the meal about
the weather or what was going on in school until there was no more food to eat
or topics to discuss. Only one thing was
left.
I blurted it out;
“Mom, Dad – I think I’m going to commit a year of my life to
full time ministry”.
These words weren’t new to them, but when I would bring up
mission work before, I’m not sure I ever really communicated. Instead of hearing that their daughter was
thinking of dedicating the 22nd year of her life to ministry, I’m
pretty sure all they heard was;
“Mom, Dad – thank you for paying for all four years of a
private university. I am now going to
waste the degree you paid for and depend on all our family and friends for
monetary support until I figure out what I really want to do with my life”.
Amazingly, God had worked in both my parent’s hearts that
week. By the time my dinner arrived, they
were totally behind my year in missions.
It’s not that my words were magical this time, but we were in a more
conducive atmosphere to talk – not in line at the grocery store or sitting in
church two minutes before the service started.
But that still left one great question: How did I know God was calling me to be a
full time missionary?
I always smile when I ask newlyweds how they knew their
significant other was The One. Their
answers are ALWAYS the same – the universal “you just know”. While I’m not sure it’s fair to compare
ministry to marriage, it wasn’t that clear for me.
I didn’t just know.
I had realized my heart for disadvantaged youth and wondered
if God was calling me to minister to them full time or to use my degree to teach
them academically. The battle between my
head and my heart during those years was intense. It was hard to tell who was winning, or who
was even supposed to win.
My heart would tell me that God wanted to use 100% of my life
for ministry, and my head would convince my heart that I wasn’t pure enough,
smart enough, or holy enough to be in full time mission work.
I finally stopped listening to both and searched the Word
for what God said. Coming across 1
Corinthians 1:26-28 my eyes opened and mouth dropped as God so clearly spoke to
me. “…Think of what you were when you
were called. Not many of you were wise
by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble
birth. But God chose the foolish things
of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame
the strong” (NLT).
That was all the convincing I needed. God knew I was weak. In fact, that’s exactly why He called me to
mission work. He works best through the
weak people of this world. And boy was I
weak.
My first time sharing Christ on the street corners taught me
my first lesson in ministry – never go evangelizing alone. Not only is it better to bring someone along
to teach them how to share the Gospel, but it deters most guys more interested
in your phone number than your life-saving message.
Never try to compete with pizza when it comes to sharing
Jesus with kids. Right after asking who
would like to become a Christian at a Bible Club, the pizza guy came – the rest
was history. As crucial and important as
the Gospel is, in a child’s mind, the pizza just smells better.
When working with bi-lingual youth, it’s best to actually
understand both languages – otherwise you will be supervising a student-led
Spanish Kids Club totally oblivious to the fact that they are accidentally
reading about staying away from lewd women instead of honoring their Mother and
Father.
In light of these funny mishaps, my six months as a full
time missionary have constantly reminded me of how weak I really am – how
little I can do apart from Christ.
Here I am, a small white girl
from the Midwest who has never touched any illegal
substances or seen the inside of a jail.
I’ve never been molested or abused or homeless as so many of the people
I minister to have.
Yet, His power is perfected in my
weakness.
My weakness is lack of experience
and knowledge. His power is in the fact
that He can use me anyway.
God is using me, a 22 year old virgin, to teach women in a rehab home about good
parenting skills, moving from brokenness to wholeness, and how to break the
bonds of prostitution, alcohol and drugs.
God is using me, a college graduate with no knowledge of the latest drug lingo,
to spend a weekend with 30 abused, sexually molested, high school dropouts and
drug-ravaged teens in order to point them to the hope they have in Jesus
Christ.
God is using me, one of three children to never know what it’s like to be
without family, food or home, to talk to homeless people on busses and street
corners about their faith.
I realistically cannot relate to
any of their experiences and trials – I cannot tell them that I know how they
feel – yet somehow they are blind to that.
God is using me despite my upper middle class upbringing to reach the
poor and oppressed of this world.
God wants to use you, too – right
where you are.
We, as Christians, are all called to full time ministry, no
matter what our profession or career. We
are all commanded to make disciples and teach them about Christ – despite our
experiences, or lack there of.
So, as your eyes turn from this article and you close out of
Radiantmag.com, remember this – you are now entering your mission field.
