Sunday, October 20, 2013

THE SECRET MISSION

 
 

Lately it seems as everywhere I turn, I am reading blogs and hearing mumbles around the Christian community of exactly what is on my heart these days.  My heart is convicted that as Christians we are missing the biggest mission opportunity of our lives.  That "Secret Mission" field is our children, our homes, and the body of Christ, the church.
 
 
If you read my blog then you know the impact the Beauty From Ashes Ministry has had on me.  The Lord has used this to open my eyes to the hurting.  He took that ministry and transformed me from the self-centered worried about all that was wrong with me life, and showed me my worth in Him.  He has shown me the importance of my words, and the love that I give and the love I receive.  He has opened the doors to show me all the need and all the hurting around me, and taught me how to care about it.
 
 
In the beginning, as I first started to write this blog, I was looking to serve.  I was looking in essence for purpose.  A place to matter and a place to be needed.  I can remember my mother in law saying to me once that I had that  very place in my own home.  At the time, I really had no idea what she meant.  I thought that mattering meant I was suppose to be serving in a big way.  I thought making a difference meant that I had to be in the middle, the center of some great movement brought on by my tireless efforts to help people.  I could not have been more wrong.
 
 
 As I said, the ministry of BFA, taught me something very important.  It taught me how to apply the scripture to my life.  While it is said to be a ministry for Abused women, I firmly believe that everyone should experience this class.  It is the perfect class to apply to the broken world we live in today.  If you have never been abused, I guarantee you are among the abused every day, and you don't even know it. 
 
 
As part of the Lord's plan, he not only took me into a classroom as a facilitator for Beauty From Ashes, but he also gave me a part time job at a Christian school.  This is my second year "teaching", and  as I continue in a school setting this is what I know to be true.  I know that the students that I have had last year and this year, come to school with a wide variety of stories.  As children they already have so many things to overcome.  I have in my short time, spoken with children who have been abandoned by their mothers;  I have comforted those who have lost a parent;  I have listened to grandparents who are parenting their grandkids.  I have heard and seen so much need and hurt that it occurs to me that "the secret mission" is in our homes.
 
 
Life is busy.  We get wrapped up in work, paying the bills and maybe even in serving, BUT I wonder, how is our family?  As a result of this busyness how is the body?  If our home is eating fast food every night, and having half conversations, what does that mean for the combined body of the church?
 
 
I believe everything starts at home.  It is home where we should learn to love and how to love others.  It is home that should be our safe haven, a place where we can find trust and love.  It is home where we should look forward to being everyday, surrounded in the security of our loved ones.  Home should be the happiest place, because our homes should be filled with Jesus, and our hearts should long to be with him.  We need to love and encourage our families first, so then we can go out and shine a light to the body.  I am curious, do you love to be in your home?  Surrounded by your family?  Do you include Jesus in your home?

Regularly, I see that the home is not always a safe place.  The home is not always the place we learn about love.  Often the home is filled with busyness and neglect.  Sometimes the home becomes the place to vent and complain, and the appreciation and love get left out.  The love is assumed, but never expressed.  As a result, we have children looking for love, what it means, what it is, and how to show it.  We have churches filled with people who want to do good, be good, and help others, but have NO IDEA how to love.

I have said it many times, the Bible says we are to LOVE one another, but so few know how to love and show love.  We are so use to empty words and promises, that showing love means saying you are going to call, and not.  I am pretty sure that is not what God had in mind.  I am going to share with you a few things I believe are good ways to show and give love.

  • Be considerate/serve of others first
  • Pray for others...actually pray, really pray, don't just say you will
  • Ask how other people are doing, and mean it.
  • Say I love you excessively don't assume your kids know or believe you
If you want to know what God's definition of love is, see 1 Corinthians Chapter 13


It may seem silly to see that bulleted list, but think about how often you do these things?  What an amazing body we would have if we all took the time to love each other.  I challenge you to "The Secret Mission" this week.  I challenge you to put more love in your home.  I challenge you to put more love in the body.  This week, take the time to make your words a blessing, not a curse.   This week, take your words and give life; not death.

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours.

See these other great blogs:

A Holy Experience:

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/06/a-letter-to-the-north-american-church-because-it-is-time/

Chance Scoggins:

http://www.chancescoggins.com/living-so-your-life-matters#more-1936