There was a time in my life when I was scared of mission trips. For some reason I always imagined that I’d have to stand in the middle of a field and bandage things. And since I am not a person who enjoys medical pursuits, the prospect of traveling to a foreign country and having to serve as some sort of makeshift nurse sounded like the last thing I’d ever want to do.
Sorry, God. I know all about that “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) business, but I don’t think I’m cut out for anything involving sutures.
My whole way of thinking was crazy, of course. There are hundreds of ways to serve in missions that don’t require a person to wear scrubs. But I was afraid, so I looked for a way to disqualify myself.
So here comes the irony. Do you know what I ended up doing when I finally went overseas about ten years ago? Writing. I served overseas by writing. That trip completely wrecked my perspective and changed my life. However, I would like to point out that one person on our trip fell and had to have stitches, and I did sit with her while she was waiting to go to the hospital—so for the record, I almost bandaged something.
In all seriousness, it’s high time for all of us—you, me, everybody—to get past this silly mentality that we’re not qualified to serve and we can’t build houses and everybody knows if you go on a mission trip you have to build a house all alone without any help from anyone and so it’s really better if we just stay at home and watch Gilmore Girls for the nineteenth time.
You just might need to broaden your idea of how you might be able to serve. And listen, it doesn’t have to be on a mission trip, either. You might volunteer long-term with a local organization. You might decide to take a semester off from college and work with a ministry overseas. The point is that how you serve more than likely will line up with what you’re passionate about.
- If you love kids, serve at an orphanage.
- If you love teaching, help with Vacation Bible School.
- If you love organizing, be in charge of packing supplies.
- If you love sports, organize soccer games for teenagers.
- If you love healthcare, do blood pressure screenings.
Do you see what I mean? You’re hardwired the way you are for a reason. And when you surrender your passions to the Lord, you can rest assured that they’re going to intersect with someone else’s need. Someone will need to be served in a way you’re uniquely equipped to provide. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
And don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the Lord won’t call you outside your comfort zone. I once found myself playing soccer with a large group of people in Uganda. The Lord is able, y’all.
There’s an old saying that the Lord doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called. That is no joke, people. He will equip you for every good work He calls you to do, whether that’s here at home or somewhere on the other side of the globe.
Pray for a willingness to go wherever He sends you.
1. What is your absolute favorite way to serve other people? Do you like working with kids? Cooking for a big group? Praying for individual needs? Whatever it happens to be, write it down.
2. Write down, doodle, or illustrate 1 Peter 4:10.
3. Have you ever thought about how to be a good steward of your gifts? Is that stewardship connected in any way to local or international missions?
4. When you read Jesus’ command to “go, therefore, and make disciples,” do you think about what that’s going to look like in your life? Do you just assume that’ll happen on a mission trip, or do you have a different dream?
Today’s Prayer