Day 90: On Mission

Tonight was all about being on mission. And as I sat there in my fold up chair, I wondered how I had anything to offer. Looking around the room, I saw so many faces eager to change human history through one action: serving.

This, I thought, is how we are going to be like Christ. This is how we are going to be a part of God's in breaking kingdom.

We must serve.

Thinking back on my walk with Christ, I quickly identified myself as a passive Christian. I showed up to church, said the right things, and looked like I was okay. I was selfish, and only concerned with what I could take from the church and the message and the spirit.

Was I doing it knowingly?

Maybe, maybe not. I think part of me was, but for the most part, I was caught up in the world. I made time for Jesus when I felt like it, and if it didn't work out, I wasn't concerned. I wasn't worried about caring for His children, the poor and sick, the needy and downcast.

I was centered on my needs, and my wants.

Now, I see Him as the lifeline He is, and I see His work at the forefront of my life.

And of course, I want more.

I am active in certain aspects of my church community, but I am most excited for the opportunity to live on mission in the city I love so much. My heart is absolutely broken for the forgotten in our society, and those who are so far from God's love.

I'm excited to gather with a group of people who also hold that beat in their hearts, and desire to love a fractured city. I want to set out not as hollow and careless people, but as servants who seek to build relationships with people.

I want to do life with people, not sit around talking at them about Jesus, because guess what: we can't only talk about Jesus, we have to be Him. We are the visible manifestation of an invisible God!

We are the hands and feet.

We are the Church.

It's time to show up and act like it.

It's time to put our actions where are words are.

Wherever you are at with your walk with Christ, know that if you are not serving, you are not connected to the vine. I'm not saying that you need to become a missionary in a foreign country, or completely change your life in order to spend more time doing “mission” work.

I'm saying that your life needs to be a mission. Your life needs to center around serving, whether it's to your friends, your family, or to orphans and widows in Haiti, or the displaced and homeless youth in Portland.

Wherever God is calling you to serve, do it. It is okay to be unsure, and even afraid, but step out.

You will change your life, and bless someone else's.

I promise.

In Christ,

Lilia