“Missions and ministry are simply about laid-down passion at the foot of the cross, praying, “Possess me, Holy Spirit, that I might be conformed into the image of Jesus. Let me reflect the majesty of who He is.” Let Jesus love you first so that you can love others as He did. When you lose yourself inside His huge heart, you find only pure joy in Him.”
—Heidi Baker, Compelled by LoveTake your shot, risk it all, LIVE your life.
Maybe you’re trying to make your life fit into a mold, to fit into a story you’ve told yourself, about how you want your life to be. So you know where you are, based on that story. You tell yourself, I’m in Chapter 2: The Early Years, where the hero of our story struggles to prepare for a life of good income and stable living situations!
But sooner or later life will intrude on your story, there’s a terrible car accident, you find out your child has a disease, a parent dies, a natural disaster strikes. Suddenly your story just isn’t a possibility anymore.
But maybe your story was too small for you anyway. Maybe the Lord has a much more exciting adventure in mind for your life. If that’s the case, then it’s kind of a good thing that your story didn’t come true, right?
When you look back on your life, you don’t really see a story unfolding anyway. What you see is something like a string of pearls. A series of memories, some exciting, some joyous, some bittersweet, and some serve as milestones on your journey. You can go down that row of pearls and play back those memories. That’s the way life always will be.
So make more pearls. You may try, and fall short, moments may fail to deliver, but you’ve got to take that chance. Ask that cute person out. Take that road trip. Find some adventure. Let that string of pearls be a long one!
“Just for once, I want to see someone go on a mission trip, take no pictures, write no details, and simply say it was a joy to serve the Lord and His people. Just for once, to keep that a sacred time between you and Him, to not be attached to the attention you will garner. There's a reckless freedom in making memories that only you and Jesus can share.”
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What are some practical ways to talk about Jesus with patients/coworkers? -anon
For starters, don’t use words. You may not realize it, but your patients and coworkers are watching you all the time, and the way you treat them goes a long way toward earning their respect. Be mindful of how you act under stress. Are you patient? Do you make fun of patients or coworkers? People are very good at spotting hypocrisy, so it’s important that you are real with people, and that your actions are consistent. Your actions should show that you are set apart and different from the norm. Christians are to display the “aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15) to the world. A smell envelops a person and follows them. A strong aroma will always be noticed without needing words to call attention to itself.
