Why We Are Missionaries

There is a struggle when it comes to being a missionary. When I say “missionary,” every reader on here might have a different definition. To my friends in Cambodia who have little to no understanding of who Jesus is and think Christianity is just a Western religion, a missionary is someone who does community work for free and somehow gets paid for it. Friends here in the States wonder why I would give up pursuing a career. Others applaud our level of sacrifice. All of these things come from a different angle and are not right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate. It is something I often have to work out.

When I boil it down though I bring these concerns back to God. Him and I talk. Sometimes I talk to the Father, other times I talk to Jesus, depending on what it is about.

There is a story in the Bible that comes to mind. Jesus is with His closest friends and students. After giving a difficult teaching to swallow, He turns to those closest to Him and asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Even though many people had their opinions about what He was doing with His life, Jesus was unwavered. He said He only did what the Father was already doing and what He was already saying. He was a man who breathed His last breath in His thirties without any regrets, completely fulfilled.

In turn, His closest friends saw His life up close and personal. They too decided, this is how they want to live. Paul, who met Jesus in a vision said from jail, that if he lives it’s unto Christ. If he dies he only gains Christ. No matter the cost, the value of following Jesus and giving our lives fully to Him is worth it.

I don’t want to get to the end of my life with regrets. I am not saying being a missionary is the only way to truly follow Jesus. It certainly is not the only way, and sometimes is not the way for many people. However, right here and now this is where He is, and in my right mind, there is nothing more worth doing than following and serving Him every day. Whether it is in Cambodia or Gainesville, Georgia. If he is here so am I. If He is there, I will do anything to get there.

He is worth more than a nice retirement, a big family, physical safety, health and wealth, or anything else. It seems foolish to live in America with all of these options at my fingertips if I work hard enough, and not choose any of them. Most of the world would do anything for these opportunities, and I couldn’t think of anything better than to give them up so that Cambodians or whoever can be offered the greatest option, that is Jesus Himself by me denying all other lesser options.

To me it is no option. David Livingstone, a pioneer missionary spent his life mapping out Africa so that the Gospel could be brought there. He often got sick, sometimes even life threatening diseases. He subjected himself to physical harm, and did something no one had done before him. He suffered greatly and saw little fruit in his lifetime, but at the end of his life he said, “He has been enough, I have made no sacrifice.”

He is worth it.