Called to God
“God doesn’t call us to a place. He calls us to Himself.” – Gary Witherall
What does that mean for your missions trip?
First of all, it’s not just about what great things your group is going to do. You are going to be used by the Lord to bring hope and truth to others. But if God is calling you, and if God will do it, then the other question is what you’re going to gain. What you’re going to learn. What you’re going to see of the Lord; new things you just wouldn’t have gotten back home.
I’ve led enough projects to know that kids are always surprised at having come to give and having so greatly received. Want to know what I mean? Just take a look at some of the trip reports from past and ongoing projects. The same’s often true of youth pastors. The same’s still true for me. It’s because God doesn’t just call us to a place. He calls us to Himself.
Additionally, there may be the question of where you’re going. Maybe your first-year team has been planning for somewhere exotic, somewhere fun, somewhere you can brag about. Why head to West Virginia when you could go to Ghana?
Or perhaps it’s exactly backwards for you. Your church has gone to do construction at the same place in Peru for years. You know exactly what you’re going to do when you get there. The routine is down. It’s pretty much the church guided tour.
Where are you going? Why?
“Why” is the big word behind everything. Intentionality. What do you want? Where are you trying to go with this? Some people aim for a place. The more successful ones head toward a Person.
Ever been frustrated with the Israelites? They knew about God: elders had handed
down tales of the exodus, of the provision in the desert, of the walls falling
at Jericho, of nations fleeing before their few swords. Yet it seems that the
old stories weren’t good enough. A generation would arise that didn’t
know Him personally, and they’d turn away. They needed a God who was their
God, who was here with them now.
What about the church? Kids and adults know about God. But the old stories
and rules aren’t enough for us, either. We are creatures made for relationship.
We hunger for it! We want to believe this “personal” thing we hear
about really is true.
What are your youth experiencing of the Lord? Not lessons about the living
water, not talk about the bread of life, but receiving such from their King!
Real prayer, real worship, real service, real truth; real time with Jesus.
God calls us to Himself. If He is alive and real and relevant for today, your
kids should know it. If He really is interested in a personal relationship with
them, they should be able to tell. And those experiences with Him ought to change
everything.
How can you lead them to interact with Christ? Ask God to show you. Let that
be your goal with every meeting.
What does it mean for you?
You’re not called just to your place. And the ministry you do isn’t
only for the kids. The Lord is letting you in on what He’s up to. Why?
His grace and His thoughts are beyond me, but here’s the bottom line:
He’s inviting you into more. To know Him more. To experience Him more.
He chose you. He moved you into the perfect place for what He has to
give; to them, to you. He’s had His hand in your life this whole time,
and now He’s brought you here.
What are you learning from God? How precious to you is your time alone with
Him? Is your prayer, your worship and your service
real and full of life? It’s not just about your kids; God’s got
something new for you.
He didn’t just call you here. He called you to Himself. Have you been
following?
Of course there is the flip side. You’re multiplying yourself into the
students He’s entrusted to you. You’ve set yourself up as a teacher,
one to be followed. You’re working on a level that makes a difference
for eternity. And you can’t lead them where you’re not.
Real leadership isn’t just about what you know. It’s not even based
on what you do. It’s far more fundamental: who you are. For good or for
bad, that will shine through every aspect of your leadership and of your life.
And any fruit you grow won’t be by your trying… it’ll come
from your connection to the Vine.
that?
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