I love to drive. There is something so wonderful about rolling down the windows, putting on some GLAM sunglasses and heading absolutely nowhere.
But then occasionally, I'll get to a spot in the road that's crazy bumpy and super curvy and not at all the leisurely ride I was looking for. I have to buckle up, buckle down, and concentrate on moving forward without slipping and sliding down the mountain I've climbed.
I think a lot of times when we decide to follow Jesus, we think it's going to be easy. We expect God to dump a bunch of gravel into the holes and dips of our lives. Everything should even out and be a smooth ride, right?
WRONG. Serving Jesus can be so, so hard. It's not all coffee dates and successful discipleship. It's not saying the right thing or being free of mistakes. It's a whole lot of late night tears and excruciating growing pains.
But here's the thing: if we weren't so passionate about Jesus, if we didn't so desperately want to know Him and make Him known, it wouldn't hurt this bad. We'd walk through this life without knowing the pain that God feels when one of His children walks away from Him. We'd walk through this life, numb to the needs of others and focused purely on ourselves. We'd walk through this life, stumbling the whole way, looking for fulfillment that would never come.
When I was a sophomore in college, I asked God to break my heart for what broke His. To be honest, I had NO idea what I was asking for, or the magnitude of the Lord's delivery.
But God answered my prayers in a very big way in the fall semester of my junior year. As an international affairs minor, I was taking two classes that revealed to me the brokenness of this world. I had also joined the missions team with my campus ministry called The Well, where I saw how desperately the nations needed the Lord's restoration.
In just three months, God had completely demolished my heart. I knew that I was made for the mission of proclaiming Jesus' name. When I came to this conclusion, I actually laughed at myself. I had never been on a mission trip before, so how in the world could I know that I was supposed to go?
Matthew 28:19 says "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."
Where in that verse does it say "If it pleases you?" Where does it say "If you are called?" It doesn't. It simply says "go."
So that's what I'm going to do.
After a lot of prayer, I feel the Lord leading me to Kampala, Uganda. I will be traveling with World Gospel Mission, an organization that sends out workers to reap the harvest. I will be serving with the University Discipleship Movement, serving college students who are searching for their purpose like I was only a year and a half ago.
If you read on in Matthew 28, verse 20 says this: "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Yes, following Jesus is hard. It pulls me away from my family, my friends, my comfort and everything that I know. But for all that is lost and taken away, God remains. The richness of life that the Lord has provided is SO worth it. It is my prayer that He will keep my heart tender to the needs of His people. I am asking the Lord to let His light burn through me as I walk through His will.
It's going to be a bumpy road. Luckily, I've only ever had four-wheel drive.
*Please stay tuned for more detailed information about my mid-term mission trip to Uganda. I can't wait to share this journey with you!