WHY I DO WHAT I DO
Living missionally
Yes, the title of my profession is “missionary,” but what does it look like to live missionally? Growing up, I thought living on the mission field was for the all-out and, frankly, people a little off their rocker. I won’t defend myself and say I don’t fit those categories. But is living missionally only for the people that fit those categories? Before missions, I would have said yes. In my time with YWAM, I’ve seen a lot of different people with the title of “missionary,” they’ve all had a variety of lifestyles, ways they shared the gospel, and what part they played in the great commission. The thing they all had in common, though, was that they loved Jesus. So, what does living missionally look like for me? This question is something I’ve repeatedly asked myself as I continue in YWAM. As you read my newsletters, many of you might know what that practically looks like, but there’s a broader calling beyond what title and responsibility I might have in any given season. I firmly believe that God has called me to love Him and love others in each season. Living with and for Jesus drives me to live on a mission greater than myself.
What a short life
I am 24 years old and have not lived much of a long life. However, there are two sides to eternity with Jesus, and anyone reading this is on the very short side. If I’m fortunate, I’ll have 80 more years, maybe see my great-grandkids and maybe those flying cars they’ve been talking about since the 1920’s. But what Jesus gives us is eternal life. It’s hard to put eternity into perspective, and I’ll do a terrible job of it if I try, but what I do know is that by comparison, I have such a small amount of time to live my life at all, let alone for Jesus.
This thought doesn’t make me rush through my life. It makes me slow down. Jesus, I’ve learned, strolls. When Jesus walked this earth, he was not in a rush. He was highly interruptible and had time for those in front of Him. I have found that adopting His pace in life allows me to do the same.
But I don’t do what I do just because I like to take casual strolls. Of course, Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and that alone is a massive catalyst for what I do. Romans 14:10-12 says one day, how I lived my life will be evaluated, and I believe I will have to answer for my decisions. How I live my short life will affect the rest of my eternity, and it’s not out of fear that I talk about this, but rather out of love for Jesus that I do.
The people
I don’t go to countries; I go to people. The difference is huge for me. Growing up, I was not keen on traveling the world or being a missionary. A month before my DTS, I found out the M in YWAM stood for “mission.” But what changed my heart was the people. I recognized that what Jesus did for me was for everyone and that the state of people’s souls is in a tragic state all over the world. I have experienced the freedom that Jesus died for in my own life, and now I get to live the life that He was raised for by showing God’s love to people worldwide.
Jesus
At my job, I sing a lot of worship, and I love it. One thing I do not enjoy is when we sing things corporately that we don’t actually mean. Sometimes, we don’t have that revelation of who God is, and I understand that. It’s almost painful when we sing songs like “Worthy of It All,” and my heart doesn’t actually mean it. I think about the countless Christians who have lived and died on the foundation that Jesus was worthy of it all. It is my earnest desire that when I sing such theologically rich songs, I can mean what I’m singing. Jesus is too good not to be worthy of it all, and it is my joy to follow and obey Him no matter where or what the cost is.
