What I've learned so far

3 minute read

Tuesday morning we were sent off by our mission sending agency, New Mission Systems International.  We had a breakfast, devotional time lead by our CEO, followed by a laying on of hands and prayers over our upcoming move to Spain (on Saturday!)  

It was a humbling time all the way around, but I wanted to focus on one thing in particular.

When we were sharing our hearts for our future ministry in Spain, a colleague asked a question I wasn’t expecting.  “What have you learned since you’ve been on this journey of missionary work?”  It caught me off guard to be honest, but it was a great question and one I wanted to put a little more thought into when I had a chance.

So, here goes, what I’ve learned so far on this missionary journey…

God is Faithful

First and foremost, God is faithful.  For some reason, I still stress about not having enough money for this or that.  This especially proved true in the middle of our partnership development time.  There were so many times I felt like throwing in the towel, and then we’d get an unexpected new partner or even an anonymous one time gift out of nowhere.  

He has proved Himself faithful and more than able to provide all we need.  Every. Single. Time.  My flesh certainly can still get in the way and cause unnecessary worry, but I don’t have to look back too far to see how He provided what we needed at just the right time.

Be Teachable

Early on in our relationship, I told my mom how one of the traits I admired most about Steffani was her teachability.  I’ve always admired that trait in others and wouldn’t have married her had she not possessed that quality.  Similarly, I’ve always tried to cultivate a teachable spirit myself.  This has proved more difficult in this season than times past.  

I have my own plans of what I think should happen and then I have people who have been in missions work for a lifetime tell me I’ve basically dead wrong.  Afterwards I have two options; choose to listen and be teachable, or do whatever I was going to do in the first place.  

It’s of upmost importance to listen to those who have traveled the path before you. This isn’t to say you never make your own decision, but rather that you seek the counsel of wise advisors before moving forward.

Fight Entitlement

At all costs, with everything you’ve got.  My generation (millenial) has been accused of having an entitlement mindset.  There is certainly truth to this observation, but I would also argue entitlement goes across generational lines.  

Whenever someone says “I deserve _____” that’s a pretty clear indictment that they have some sense of entitlement.  My parents did a great job at instilling in me the idea that we don’t deserve anything.  What they meant by this statement isn’t that working hard isn’t worth it, but rather that everything we have is a gift from God.  

Furthermore it can all be stripped away in the blink of an eye for no obvious reason as it was in the story of Job.  

Prioritize Your Life

People know the right things to say when asked about their priorities, but do our lives reflect what we say are our priorities?  If someone followed you around all day would their observations about your priorities line up with what you claim they are?  Are we investing our time in what we say is most important in our lives?  

Something that has helped me with this is a simple habit tracker app and Google Calendar.  I have daily habits and a tracker to make sure I do them all.  For some reason a row of X’s is deeply satisfying to me.  I have Google Calendar reminders to see if I’m doing things to make Steffani feel special.

There are several other lessons I’ve learned this season, but those are the four main ones.  

What have you learned lately in your current stage of life?