Worth It?

I was listening to a message recently and the speaker was talking about his experience in his early ministry when he talked to his mentor about his disappointment in his apparent ineffectiveness in starting a church. 

The speaker was frustrated because he wasn’t seeing the results he had expected or hoped for when he had started his endeavor. Things were going much slower then he had anticipated.

His mentor's response was, “Well, would this have all been worth it if only 10,000 people’s lives were changed?” His reply was “Yes of course it would have all been worth it, I would have been satisfied with 1,000 people having been impacted, but I don’t see anyone impacted at all."

His mentor then responded, “Okay, would it have been worth it if 100 people would have been changed?" He replied again, “Yes I would be happy with 10 people but I don’t even see that many lives impacted by my ministry; it seems nobody has been affected.” 

His mentor responded again, “Would it have been worth it if one person had been impacted by your time spent doing this ministry?" “Yes I’d even be happy knowing one person's life had been changed forever."His mentor’s final response was, “What if that one person was you?” 

Mikulov, CZ

This story in many ways is a perfect description of our time overseas. I have no doubt that we’ve planted seeds of truth but we don’t often get to see the fruit and we’ve learned to be okay with that. However, OUR lives have changed in a way that we couldn’t have imagined. Without a doubt, YES IT HAS BEEN WORTH IT. 

Lednice Chateau

Here are a few things that we have learned or relearned along the way:

1. In many ways we Westernize the Bible without realizing it. Jesus wasn’t American! Growing up in a culture that often tells you that everything/everyone revolves around you can be dangerous when applied to God’s Word. We often read things into the Bible based on our background or culture that aren’t really there. Being aware of this will allow us to approach God’s Word through His eyes, not our experiences. Everything isn’t about my purposes and me; it’s about God and His purposes. Not only for my life, but also (more importantly) for the world as a whole. 

2. Circumstances don’t determine God’s goodness. We need to interpret our circumstances based on God’s goodness and not the other way around. This goes back to “It's not about me." God’s ultimate plan in all of creation is more important than my right now plans, or the circumstances in my small part of the eternal timeline. 

3. Motivation is a major factor to evaluate in nearly everything we do. Take the above story for example. If I am motivated only by making a visible “difference” in other's lives then one of two things is likely to happen: a. I will get so discouraged by the lack of evidence that I will give up in a very short time frame or b. I will be filled with so much pride to see how much I’ve accomplished on my own that I will disregard God completely. 

Brno, CZ

4. This leads into the next truth: God doesn’t need me. God was at work in my location long before I arrived and He will continue long after I leave. It isn’t me, or bust, for God. In fact, when I behave as though it is my story/world I often hurt more than help the situation. He doesn’t need my involvement…but he wants it. He invites me to join His work...not the other way around. 

5. If you are not constantly/intentionally pursuing truth you will become distracted and believe lies. Satan is constantly at work telling us that our story is the most important thing and this shows up in a variety of ways: depression, selfishness, apathy, unforgiveness, inner strife, worry, feelings of inadequacy, pride, etc.This is why consistently surrounding yourself with truth in a variety of ways, not just one, is vital. This includes personal Bible study, group Bible Study, regular church attendance, etc.  

6. This isn’t my home. Regardless of where I live for the rest of my earthly life, a small part of me will always feel out of place. This used to bother me. After living in a variety of places, I now embrace this feeling because I realize in a much more real way than ever before, this world is not my home, heaven is, and therefore I shouldn’t feel comfortable all the time. I think this is why we often have this inner battle. There is this unspoken and often unrecognized tension that is going on with the right now vs. the eternal. 

Prague, CZ

We’ve met some amazing people throughout our time overseas and we’ve had the privilege of seeing some absolutely stunning places, but our most cherished experiences have surrounded encountering our Savior in a new and rich way. He is always worth it. 

Prague, CZ

A Hope Deferred

A Hope Deferred

There is this really powerful bible verse tucked away in Proverbs. It is found in chapter 13, verse 12. “A hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” I really think that I have been caught in the middle of that all this year. 

When we came to Prague last August, we were certain that it was for good. Or, for an extended period of time anyway.  But, as we know, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Awry doesn’t really begin to cover it. Misinformation, bait and switches, poor health, and toxic work environments come a little closer. 

So, for now our hope is deferred and our hearts are sick. We are leaving Prague this Friday and have a rather large question mark hanging out there in front of us. It has caused me to question many things. It has caused us pain, frustration and even great sadness. 

But there is beauty in all of this. The beauty is that there is a second part to that verse. “A longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” The one thing that never changed in all of our circumstances is God’s great love for us. 

We long to serve God and others. We want to make people’s lives better. We want many people to come to faith. That is the tree of life that we working towards. Maybe we will see this fulfilled while we are living, but maybe that longing will only be fulfilled when we see God face to face in eternity. 

Maybe you’re reading this and you think faith is silly or a joke. Well, I am not going to try to talk you in to it. The last time I talked a person into faith, he walked away as soon as I left. So I will not be persuading you to believe through his post. But maybe I will convince you to think about what you believe and why you believe it. I am not responsible to save anyone’s soul. I am only responsible to tell them that God loves them and wants them to know that. That is what this post is for. God loves you. He died for you. He wants a relationship with you. 

I am so interested to see how exactly God will fulfill our longing for him. We are kind of downcast right now, but not defeated. I am so perplexed right now, but not in despair. I believe that Jesus Christ has a plan for my life. Loving and serving him is my purpose. I don’t always live like that, and that makes me sad. But even in my failings he is present and loves me. 

That, in and of itself, is a tree of life.