Job Description -- Faithful and Willing
A conversation I had last spring has been playing over and over in my mind lately. A sweet young friend and I had a lunch date, and in the course of our time together, she told me about a deep longing in her heart to do something for the Lord in the way of service. Because her skill set is in the medical field, she was thinking along the lines of an overseas medical mission effort. Her heart was burdened with the desire to express her love for God by serving Him with the gifts she'd been given by Him.
Her passion to serve her Father was intense and heartfelt. And her willingness to get involved in such a life-changing way was admirable and beautiful -- she was ready to give up the life she was accustomed to in order pursue super-sized dreams.
Those sorts of opportunities are out there -- in abundance. There's no doubt that God places those ministry opportunities on the hearts of willing souls. My friend certainly has the capabilities to make a major impact on the lives of those in need, and far be it from me to discourage her! I say -- go for it, sister!
But I also believe that the key isn't so much how grand a life-change your call to serve requires, but it's more in your faithfulness to serve wherever He calls you. And it's not so much that God is seeking a particular skill set, but that He's looking for a willing heart of love that He can equip to fulfill whatever His plans are. It's all about being Christ's ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20).
For the student, it's being the encourager and the one who squelches gossip. For the young professional, it's living a life of integrity in the workplace and purity in your personal life. For the newlywed, it's pursuing your spouse with a love like Christ loves the church. For the mother of the colicky newborn and the toddler with insatiable curiosity, it's practicing patience and prayer. For the mom and dad of the teenager whose hobby it is to push your buttons, it's modeling grace and learning to release your child into God's hands. For the middle-aged worker "stuck" in a job that feels unfulfilling and draining, it's looking past circumstances and searching for souls that God has placed in your pathway to encourage and share His light with.
Bottom line -- the mission field wears a lot of different disguises. And service to others in the name of Jesus is as unique as fingerprints. But as varied as these things are, the servants of God universally listen for the voice of the Master as He leads them where He needs them and equips them to do His good works. So whether the mission field is a classroom or a board room or the couch in the starter home or the rocking chair in the nursery or the dinner table or the break room, "…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31)
Her passion to serve her Father was intense and heartfelt. And her willingness to get involved in such a life-changing way was admirable and beautiful -- she was ready to give up the life she was accustomed to in order pursue super-sized dreams.
Those sorts of opportunities are out there -- in abundance. There's no doubt that God places those ministry opportunities on the hearts of willing souls. My friend certainly has the capabilities to make a major impact on the lives of those in need, and far be it from me to discourage her! I say -- go for it, sister!
But I also believe that the key isn't so much how grand a life-change your call to serve requires, but it's more in your faithfulness to serve wherever He calls you. And it's not so much that God is seeking a particular skill set, but that He's looking for a willing heart of love that He can equip to fulfill whatever His plans are. It's all about being Christ's ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:20).
For the student, it's being the encourager and the one who squelches gossip. For the young professional, it's living a life of integrity in the workplace and purity in your personal life. For the newlywed, it's pursuing your spouse with a love like Christ loves the church. For the mother of the colicky newborn and the toddler with insatiable curiosity, it's practicing patience and prayer. For the mom and dad of the teenager whose hobby it is to push your buttons, it's modeling grace and learning to release your child into God's hands. For the middle-aged worker "stuck" in a job that feels unfulfilling and draining, it's looking past circumstances and searching for souls that God has placed in your pathway to encourage and share His light with.
Bottom line -- the mission field wears a lot of different disguises. And service to others in the name of Jesus is as unique as fingerprints. But as varied as these things are, the servants of God universally listen for the voice of the Master as He leads them where He needs them and equips them to do His good works. So whether the mission field is a classroom or a board room or the couch in the starter home or the rocking chair in the nursery or the dinner table or the break room, "…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31)
