Going Without
Back in 2013, I was given the opportunity to go on a missions trip. I hadn't been on a trip of this nature since 1996, so I knew that I'd be stretched in my thinking, world view, and faith. So, with a team and gear in hand, we ventured down to the country of Belize.
For too long, I allowed myself to get comfortable in my American bubble. There were plenty of opportunities to go on other mission trips, but I always found excuses not to go. I allowed other non-essential things to get in the way of living out God's calling on my life (Matthew 28:19-20). But there's something interesting about mission trips. You plan, prep, create, get crafty, organize games, raise funds, plan skits, etc., yet the true work that is completed is in the hearts of those you meet, and your own. The biggest lesson I walked away from Belize with is this: In order for God's abundant joy and peace to overwhelm you, you must remove the clutter from your life! There is so much value in the simplicity of Psalm 46:10 which says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
We did a lot of our ministering in and around the town of Dangriga (probably one of the poorest communities in Belize). To see how much the people in this town live without, yet how much joy lies within was amazing! The old saying rang very loud and clear, "You can't buy love." And to that I would add happiness. The organization I was with developed a great relationship with one of the local pastors and his family in the neighboring town of Pomona. We visited their house a couple of times. From the American perspective, if their home was located in America, it would immediately be condemned, boarded up, and bull-dozed. They've got very little and 10-11 people living in the house. The parents had to make daily decisions on which of their children would eat that day. Sometimes going a few days without food. But this is what's amazing. In the absence of "stuff", this family lives what it says in Nehemiah 8:10, "...for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
While on this particular trip, I stepped away from social media and other things to clear my mind of certain distractions, God also had it in His plan to have me step away from the life I was comfortable in to find what His joy really looks like. When we get to a place when we feel as if we have nothing, it's at that point when God will do some of His most amazing work. It's the paradox of Christianity. We must live without, in order to experience the fullness of His riches. We must be brought low, in order for the Lord to lift us on high.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I had the full intention of going down to minister and bless those we came in contact with. And my prayer is that those we ministered to felt the love of Christ long after we've gone. My prayer was that the gentleman I had the pleasure of leading to the Lord has continued to walk steadfastly and be encouraged by fellow believers. Along with those, my prayer will continue to be that I not fall back in to the bubble of spiritual contentment. My desire is to continue in this process of ‘stepping away’, in order to draw closer to the Lord. When we make decisions to live without, we’re brought the realization of how much we have in Jesus!
What do you need to step away from? Social media? Certain friends that bring you down? Alcohol? Drugs? Complacency? May I encourage you to take the step of faith that you need to in your life. Get in to God's Word and allow Him to take you where He wants you to go. It will be out of your comfort zone. It may even lead you out of the country. But I can guarantee you, whatever direction the Lord takes you, it'll lead directly to His heart.
