Lessons from L.A.
- priscillawrites
- Mar 8, 2016
- 4 min read
I started this post with the intention of summing up everything God spoke to me about during my trip to L.A., but I couldn't even cover half of it in such a short space. So I thought I'd just share one lesson from now. Maybe later I'll share a little more...
I guess because I am so in love with travelling overseas, I sometimes tend to underestimate my local mission trips (local meaning within the U.S. of course). But when I think about that, I realize how silly it is. There is nothing inherently more powerful or beautiful about a foreign mission trip than there is about a local one.
Missions isn't about a place. Missions is about a state of the heart when we serve. God knows that, and I think that's why He's done some amazing things in my heart in both local and foreign mission trips. Of course this trip was no exception.
One of my favorite lessons I've ever learned about missions is this: serving requires full surrender of our will. I learned this the hard way years ago. It was a late night and I was going into a service project to pass out blankets to the homeless in my city. And - being totally vulnerable here - I did not feel like it. I'd had a long day, I was tired, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into my comfortable bed. And I remember telling God that. I literally said, "I'm sorry I feel this way, but I do. I'll still do this, but if you don't want me to do it feeling this way, then stop me."
Perhaps that was a weird prayer to pray, but you know what's even weirder? I ended up not being able to participate in that project. And that told me this: God wants us to serve with the right heart. That is as important to Him as the actual act of service. Actually, I'd say it's even more important.
So I kept that in mind on this trip to L.A. A big hurdle for me on mission trips is always the hesitation in my mind to put myself out there and form relationships with strangers. But on the first morning of this trip I told God I was surrendering that. I was going to do whatever He wanted me to do that day, even if my flesh didn't want to. And you know what? It was amazing. I met people who I could literally feel God's love for as I prayed for them. God taught me so much that day about His love for the homeless and the lonely and the broken.
You know, surrendering our will is not easy. Letting go of the things our flesh so badly does not want to do (like sharing our money, giving of our time, or loving those who don't love us back) is hard. It requires sacrifice. And many times, suffering. In light of that, I want to share with you a passage I came across during my trip to L.A. found in Luke 6:
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
This is our calling as Christians, guys. And yeah, it's hard. At least for our flesh, who would much rather always get its way. But you know what? This calling to suffer for the sake of love and God's kingdom is also beautiful. For our spirit - that part of us that is a million times more mature and wise than our flesh - it is so fulfilling and so full of joy.
I don't want to run from it anymore. I don't want my flesh to stand in the way of what God has for me anymore. I don't want to blind myself to His love for people and missions for the sake of my own comfort.
I hope you'll make the same decision because I promise you, it will be so, so worth it.