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
