The Moment a Missionary

The moment a missionary start thinking only about himself, it's of the end of mission. When we think only of our emotions and feelings, quitting becomes easier. "This is what I feel right now, injustice had been done to me, I don't like it, I cannot accept that..." I, I, and I... There is no future in mission if it's only "I". "I need my time..." but I am fulltime! I had been slapped by it many times in order for me to wake up because yes, I am fulltime. I do need some rest and some time for myself... my emotions get affected too, I do get hurt, Fulltimes are not supermen however, at the end of the day we know what we forego. The moment we answered this call we forego our rights to ourselves. The moment we wear the cloak of mission, we already carry Christ in us and forego of ourselves. This means, everything is secondary, even our own deepest desires, comforts and rights.

Yes, we need time for ourselves and need to be respected at times but all these and more are secondary to Christ and His mission. We may as well be reminded of Saint Paul who is his letter to the Corinthians said, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

That is why, on the other hand, leaders must be prayerful and discerning because we cannot play around with the mission, assigning missionaries somewhere without deep prayer and discernment. Lives are affected and future changed here. Leaders must look deeper into each missionary under them with the eyes of faith, taking into account there personal struggles and shortcomings with grace, so that they can truly journey with them, because for leaders (those handling other missionaries), missionaries are their own mission. So, while, missionaries forego of themselves, they are at peace with the thought that there leaders are praying and discerning sincerely for them. Obedience becomes easier because there is an exchange of goodness and grace.

Lord, grant us the grace to understand Your Will in our lives so that we can do your mission with you as our focus and not ourselves. Amen.

by aats