A Woman on a Mission
…I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians.
God saw to it that I was equipped…
And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head,
the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ.
Ephesians 3:8
The weekend after Thanksgiving, I was feeling smug about December. The Christmas decorating was done, several gifts had been purchased, my writing tasks for the month looked manageable, and I had outlined a holiday schedule in my planner.
But Monday morning our son phoned from the monastery in West Virginia. The crisis we’d anticipated since he moved there five years ago had arrived. The next two weeks were a blur of days at the monastery, a weekend with relatives in Ohio, a week at the Morgantown, West Virginia clinic where Allen received treatment for post-traumatic stress syndrome, and finally a long trip home together.
Two or three years ago, a crisis like that would have paralyzed me. But God began preparing me for it a while back when I memorized Ephesians 3:8. The verse tells how God prepared Paul for ministry to the Gentiles. God continued to equip me this fall when I read the book Reformission by Mark Driscoll and attended Pastor Tim’s Sunday school class about developing a missional mindset. The book and the class trained me to look at my life as my mission field. So when our son’s call came, I was ready to deal not only with the needs of my family during an emergency situation, but also to look for ways He would use me in it.
In short, I was prepared to be a woman on a mission. While at the monastery, whenever possible, I thanked the monks for their love toward Allen. I answered the questions they had and showed compassion as they released him from their care. At our relatives’ home, I entered into their holiday preparations and thanked them for their willing ministry to us. And at the clinic, which did not claim to be Christian, I told the therapists I was a writer and interviewed them about their treatment methods. By the end of the week, they suggested I write a book for Christians parents about post-traumatic stress in children.
In the next few months, you will have the opportunity to develop a missional midset about your life as GCC launches its missional church initiative. During worship services, in Sunday school classes, at small church and in daily quiet time, you will examine your life circumstances and discover God’s purpose in them. You will be challenged to trust God to equip you for service, and once you are equipped, to take action. In short you will learn to be missional within your ordinary, everyday life.
We’re about to become men and women on mission from God. Are you ready?
