Celeste Forrest, Staff Writer
But He’s not just calling you anywhere.
God is calling you to the mission field.
Yeah, the mission field.
But before you start thinking, “Wait, I’m just a (fill-in-the-blank) major, I’m not called to be a missionary!” and decide to stop reading this article, let me explain myself.
You are being called to the mission field.
What exactly is the mission field? Are we talking about the wild jungles of the Amazons or the Lion-King-esque terrains of Africa? Well, not necessarily.
Some of us do have a calling for those who desperately need God’s love and salvation in foreign countries. In fact, God is already using many of us to help those starving in Africa, care for orphaned children in Italy or build churches in Brazil. However, there is another mission field and all you have to do to reach it is step right outside your front door and look around.
There are those starving and begging for food in the streets. There are hurting children in orphanages. There are churches needing to be built in the darkest, trashiest and scariest places in the city. There are people who are desperately searching for love and salvation. There is all of this and much more right here, in your backyard.
This is your mission field.
Just this past Friday, I had the opportunity to meet a few missionaries in a mission-minded meeting, established for SNU students to voice their opinions and thoughts on how to expand a global ministry and grow God’s kingdom. In the middle of all the ministry related majors, there is me, a little English Education major whose heart has been called to teaching.
In all honesty, I felt a little out of place. I found myself wondering, “I’m not a missions major or anything, can I even someday call myself a missionary?” However, the more I thought about it, the more the answer became obvious. The truth is, everyone, no matter what your background, no matter what your major, no matter who you are, everyone is a missionary. As long as your eyes and heart are set on Christ and his kingdom, you are a missionary. If you don’t believe me, take a look at what Jesus says in Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Here, we are commanded by Christ to spread the gospel and lead others to Him; in other words, we are being called by Christ to minister to others and do missionary work.
So how in the world can one English Ed. major “go and make disciples of all nations?” Well first, why not start here? If my calling is teaching, then why not mentor and teach others by demonstrating Christ’s love? Why not use the talents I was given to glorify God and grow His kingdom? If God can use an English Ed. major whose passion is teaching, than he can certainly use you. We were each blessed with gifts, things like leading, administering, giving and even mercy that are tools God has placed in our hearts to use for mission work. Everything you do, from the words you choose to say to the choices you decide to make, create a living, breathing testimony of how God is at work in your life. How you live out this testimony is how you demonstrate mission to others. Your life is a ministry, and your career, no matter what job you end up with, will always provide a mission field. If God wills it, it may be on the dirt paths of Malaysia. Or it may be at a dental office. However, there is no end to God’s mission field. It starts right where you stand and stretches as far as the ends of the earth.
Look around you; this is your mission field.
And God is calling you.