"The whole world is your oyster"... Webster has an interesting definition for an oyster as "something that is or can be readily made to serve one's personal ends". Oysters produce pearls, objects of great value. Once you have the oyster, it gives up the pearl without much of a fight. Getting the pearl requires that the oyster be opened and despite the hardness of its shell, they can be opened with ease. So then, what are your pearls?
The Command
As Christians, the whole world is a mission field, for the fields are "already white for harvest"! What the world needs is more laborers for His harvest. We are called to be His witnesses and preach the good news to the "end of the age" (Matt. 28:20), to the "end of the earth" (Acts 1:8), so that "His way may be known on earth and His salvation among all nations"(Ps. 67)!! We hold within us something much more precious and valuable than pearls, we have the true, living, breathing Word of God!
Luke 10:2: "Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Romans 10:12-14: "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Joel 2:32). How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?"
William Carey, the "Father of modern missions" proclaimed in one of his sermons to, "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God". Hudson Taylor has said, "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed". Don Rogers, founder of ELI in Africa has also said "We cannot change the whole world, but we can change the world for one person". This reminds me of what Hudson Taylor has also often said, "If I had 1,000 lives, I'd give them all for China". I can definitely relate to these fellow missionaries in every one of their quotes and if I had 1,000 lives, I know where they'd go!!
A Change of Scenery
"But He said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent" (Luke 4:43).
Oh how often God leads us in life through the doors He closes- He leads by hindrance sometimes more than by the open gate. I think of all the times He lead Paul on his missionary journey by closing doors along the way (Acts 16:6-10). It is these closed doors that demand our greatest obedience at times as well as test our faith, trust, and patience. His timing is everything! "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (Eccl. 3:11). "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. See I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it" (Rev. 3:7b-8a). Alexander Graham Bell once said, "Sometimes we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us".
I have learned so much these past three years through the "closed doors" in my life and on my journey. It has been through this time, these trials, that I have had many lessons in obedience, trust, and patience. There is something so very humbling about having a deep seated desire in wanting to serve and feeling called to something and somewhere, yet God in His sovereignty calls you to "stay" and be filled by Him. When our entire lives get shaken and turned upside down, the only thing you can hold onto is the One, true constant in your life. For He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8) and He is the one who goes with you for He never leaves nor forsakes (Deut. 31:6). It has been through this time and season of "staying" and being filled by Him, that I've encountered the humble lesson of being used in ways and in places I never thought I would or could. I have seen firsthand that everywhere is a mission field and sometimes the people that need us most are the people right in front of us, depending on the season. At times I felt like this previous winter season would never pass, however I am forever grateful for all the invaluable lessons I have learned. God holds all of life in balance and for "everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Eccl. 3:1). True obedience to the Father as a believer is not always easy, but it never returns void. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" (Ps. 30:5). Ministries and mission opportunities have gone on without me... years ago, I never thought I'd be where or who I am today. I guess that's what God does with habitual planners like me! I never thought that if I could give 1,000 lives for a place and people that God set in my heart, that He would call me to use this 1 short life somewhere else. Yet, experience and the stories of many other missionaries who have gone before could be witness of the same lesson learned. I guess that's where obedience and faith come in.
In Gen. 12, the Lord says to Abram to "Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you". The Lord told Abraham to get up and go, and he went! Without question or hesitation, Abraham sets out on his journey... not even knowing where he's headed! Sometimes such bold actions can appear scary, until we remember who our Sovereign Lord is. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord" (Jer. 17:7).
He knows the plans He has for all of us and they are good (Jer. 29:11)! In reflection, hindsight is always clearer. As God prepares me for what's to come, I look back on all that He has done and taught me these past few years and realize I wouldn't want to be without any of those lessons now. As difficult as the time was, I am beginning to see what God was doing in the midst of it all this whole time. I thought I'd be further along on this journey of mine... with a different definition and outlook these days I realize in some ways that I am strides ahead... in other ways it has only just begun. As I embark on this road that God is setting before me, it looks different than expected, and through God closing doors, it's headed somewhere different than expected... nevertheless... Safari Yangu continues on!!
