Friday we got the chance to talk to my brother Mark for a while through Skype, and that was wonderful, though afterwards i was feeling a bit sad.
This time, more than any other missions terms i've been on, has been a real eye-opener in regards to an aspect of mission work i hadn't acknowledged before. Maybe it's because i'm a little older than before and i've grown a lot closer to my family, but it is here in Costa Rica that i realize what following the Lord into the mission field costs - it costs leaving family and friends, and it costs missing watching my nieces grow and develop.
The thing is - i know that this is God's will for my life, and so the cost isn't too much...
but it is a lot, and it's good that i'm learning that...
In Luke's account of Jesus asking people to follow him (9:57-62), he reminds them of the cost - it almost seems like he's discouraging them from following him, but i think it was more that he wanted followers to know and accept how discipleship will affect their lives. The part that speaks to me is verse 61-62, "Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and look
s back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.' "Why? Well, 'cuz if i'm plowing and i look backwards over my shoulder as i plod along, i'm not going to plow in a straight line - i'm not looking where i'm going.
And i have had enough incidents running into doorframes and chairs, etc. to teach me to watch where i'm going.
So, that's all for now, but that's what i'm learning. And i'm glad and grateful.
And i rejoice that God never calls us to anything He's not already doing, and He never calls us anywhere that He is not there already!
What a beautiful Leader to follow.
