Counting the Costs

I have found that when I tell people that I am in the process of becoming a missionary, there are typically 2 responses:

"You're going to go all the way over there? Why don't you just stay here? You know we need missionaries here. And what about your family? You're just going to leave them? Won't that be difficult?"

To this person I respond in this way:

"You're right, there is a need for missionaries right here in America. Which is why you are still here. God hasn't laid it on your heart to go to a different country, so He wants to use you here. And, yes, I will miss my friends and family very much. I love them, but I love my Savior even more and my life is no longer my own. If He wants me to go across the world to tell people about how lovely He is, then I will go."

The second response is usually something like this:

"That will be so cool. You are going to have so much fun! What a great experience."

To this person I say:

"Yes. I am really excited. It is always an exciting adventure following the Lord. But, it's going to be really difficult too. Probably more difficult than I am ready for, but I know God will use it to draw me closer to Himself."

Of course, these are not the only responses. Each person responds in a different way, but the above seem to be the most common "theme" running across everyone's responses. And I'm thankful for both responses. They are both good reminders. One a reminder of the reality of the difficulty of being so far from the comforts of home and loved ones and one a reminder of the immense blessings that are in store for all who are obedient to God's calling. Both are realities that I need to be aware of.

What I also would want to say to anyone who seeks to follow Jesus Christ is this: it's not an issue of whether or not we've been "called." If we take God's Word seriously, then we realize that we all have been "called"--called to lay down our lives for the sake of Christ, called to love sacrificially and called to make disciples. We're all called to go. For one person, that may simply mean going to the neighbors house and sharing with them the love of Christ. It may mean going to work Monday through Friday and being faithful to fulfill the task at hand with integrity and faithfulness. And for some, it may mean giving up whatever comforts you hold dear, packing your bags, and going across the world to tell people about Jesus who would never know Him otherwise. But, nevertheless, we are all called to go. Once we've committed to following Christ, we've committed to allowing Him to lead. It means were ready to be led no matter where that may be--even if it means following Him to the ends of the earth.

My reflection upon these things has been re-awakened recently as I am reading through a book about a young missionary couple who followed Christ even when that meant going to a dangerous, unstable country in the Middle East to share the gospel. It was helpful to be reminded exactly what it means to be a missionary in a foreign country. He says:

"...it's easy to romanticize the missionary life. But the reality is altogether different. It means giving up everything: your language, your car, your friends, your family; it means giving up Wal-Mart and Walgreens and clean streets and safety and working electricity...and it isn't always heroic. You go to a country where no one cares about you, no one is interested in you. You feel almost silly walking around the streets trying out the new words in the new language you've learned....There is a certain amount of frustration because it takes time before you can interact deeply in conversation with the people you are trying to reach because of the language barrier. You know they're looking at your and talking about you but you can't understand what they're saying. [My wife] and I realized what every missionary must realize: You have to die to yourself. You have to be willing to say over and over, 'Yes, Lord. Any time, any place, whatever you want, including dying.' He says, GO. And we go." (from Total Abandon by Gary Witherall)

And for the author, it did include dying--his pregnant wife was shot and killed for the sake of Jesus Christ. That doesn't seem very fun or exciting. It doesn't seem like giving up a comfortable life for that is worth it. Or even giving up a successful ministry--why would I want to go to a different country to learn a language I don't know and adapt to a culture I don't understand when I can be effective here in my country. It's simple: because Jesus Christ--who left the comforts of heaven and stepped down into a sinful world filled with the very people he had created who rejected Him--He has said "go." And so we do--we go. It's not anything spectacular or glamorous, not a self-glorifying sacrifice--we are merely His servants and at the end of the day when we've done what He's asked us to do, the only right response is "We are unworthy bondservants; we have only done what was our duty." (Luke 17:10) Yes it is worth it. Because Jesus Christ is worth it and when the Master calls His servants, their only response is obedience --and it is as if no sacrifice were ever made.