Over the last few years, my interest in missions outside of the US has grown considerably. Not only that, but my willingness to consider spending a portion (or all, I guess) of my life outside of the U.S. has also increased...and drastically. In fact, for the last several months, I've wrestled with and prayed about the possibility of teaching abroad, be it at a missionary school or otherwise. And it's honestly grown to become something that I am excited about the potential of.
But I have no idea if that is something that the Lord has in store for me, or if it's a man, er, woman made idea.
And so I've prayed. And I've researched. And I've begun talking to people. And I haven't gained any clarity. In fact, God's been [seemingly] pretty silent on the matter.
Tonight, when the opportunity arose to attend a "Night of Justice" at church and hear a representative from the International Justice Mission speak, I jumped. I really wanted to know about opportunities to get involved with loving people in tangible ways and spreading the Gospel around the world. I thought maybe hearing about the heart and passion of IJM would spark some sort of revelation for me. Alas, it did not. I was moved, of course, by the stories and by the statistics and by the outrageous injustice committed across the world, and of course, by the majority of the world's blind eye and deaf ear. But a revelation did not happen.
After the event, I had the opportunity to talk individually with the speaker from IJM. I explained briefly my situation and my desire to figure out the next step for my life. I intend to remember exactly what he said to me.
"Be faithful to the task set before you. Don't treat your current situation as merely a stepping stone."
He then told the story of a man whose primary occupation was making shoes. Sure, making shoes wasn't so glamorous, and perhaps it wasn't even desirable or enjoyable. But shoe-making is what this man had been called to do. And he did it with all his heart, serving the Lord every step of the way. He was faithful to the task set before him.
I'm not sure which part was more staggering, the fact that his words caught me so off guard, or the fact that I knew instantly that his words were so true and exactly what I needed to hear.
Immediately, I was convicted. It's not that I don't give my best to the kids that I teach. But I have been viewing this as merely a season; something to get through, but not necessarily something to prosper in. Sure, I've seen ministry opportunities woven throughout, but I haven't necessarily been treating my job as my current calling. I've totally viewed it as a stepping stone, as a means of making it from point A to point B. And that totally robs those around me from experiencing so much. So it's time for me to make a shift. It's time to zoom in on the task at hand and work at it with all my might. Period. No goals of "passing the test" or "getting through" in mind. That doesn't mean that I will discontinue praying about my future, but it does mean that it cannot be my priority. The Lord has always been so faithful, the very least I can do is be faithful to Him, even if it required making shoes.
What about you? Is there something the Lord has set before you right now? Will you be faithful to His call in your life currently, without worrying about future plans?
