I’ve had two conversations within a 24-hour period about missions. The first was with a couple of Millennials and the second with two Baby Boomers. Both were in completely different times of life and location, though they each served a period overseas.
Now, their hearts were yearning for the joy they’d known in service.
What do you do when your heart aches to serve?
Some of you may be experiencing this because of lock-downs in your present location, even if it’s among the people you’re called to serve. There’s a pent up energy that is longing to get busy again, be among the people you love.
Others, like my friends, are just in a different season of life, and it’s taken them away from the daily interactions of a particular people group and the feeling of contributing for the Kingdom.
It’s good to have that ache sometimes. It’s God’s reminder that there is so much more to this life and our reason for living in this world.
I would be very sad for them if they were satisfied with life, as so many other Christians are.
Yearning to be on mission keeps us sharp to see the people around us as God does.
Does this mean that any of them are outside of God’s will for their life at this point and time? Absolutely not. They are all serving and being salt and light for the Kingdom, but it’s good to be reminded by a friend that we all have seasons in service, just like in life.
I could tell by a question I was asked about my stepping away from my own area of service, that they were wondering if I’d found satisfaction and peace in that. The answer was “yes,” because it was the right thing for me to do, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. However, God had given me that peace and showed me new ways he wanted to use me for the Kingdom.
Mission-active people have a fear of settledness.
We don’t want to seem lazy and content in the comforts of our situation when there is a world dying without Christ. I get it, and I’ve wrestled with it, but I also have learned something recently.
Jesus knew he only had three years on this earth to accomplish his mission, but he was never in a hurry.
If I need to work in the secular world for a while to help my family or be able to meet a need for my children or spouse, then I need to trust God to open avenues to serve the nations right where I am. If a global pandemic has put everything I’ve loved doing to a screeching halt, then I need to trust that God wants me to work on my relationship with him during this time, to dig into his Word more, to focus on family.
The ache for serving will be met by our being willing to serve in the little things until he opens doors for greater opportunities.
In the meantime, we pray for those we love, and don’t just passively wait, but stay active in service to bring him glory with what we have at hand.
He knows the desires of your heart. He will fulfill them as you press on in faith to be on mission with God right where he’s got you.
Grace and Peace