The most difficult thing about this first year in missions has been…

well let’s get to that in a minute. On any given day we might meet someone and witness to them, they might pray with us, or even come to church. Those are exciting days; the instant results of the work. It reminds me of when I used to cut grass for a living. There was nothing more satisfying than looking out over a finished lawn, seeing the perfectly cut grass and trimmed edges.

There is only one problem: people are not really instant projects. Instantly, there might be a spark of a result, but is this what we are looking for? It’s kind of like planting a tree versus cutting grass; it takes years to see the results of a planted tree. We are looking for disciples, people that want to be planted, but, also, on a natural level, we are looking for results.

This brings us back to the difficult part of missions, for me, at least. Truthfully, the most consistent evidence that we are in the right place doing the right thing is not in the people we minister to but in the opposition we face in ministering. We see it in many different ways, but it is almost always present. It’s an antagonist constantly questioning us. I realize this doesn’t make any sense, but, in a way, it makes a lot of sense.

I realized that the only evidence I needed was grace

The most beautiful thing about the resistance is that the grace is greater. As I looked for the evidence in my life to battle the opposition and prove to myself that I am in the will of God, I realized that the only evidence I needed was grace. How can we know we are in the will of God? We see that we have the grace to be there. I know the results will come, but I’ve learned that I don’t need them. I’m content to be resting in the daily deliverances of grace.