I have been sent!

Isaiah 6:8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here I am. Send me!" One of my life long dreams, has always been to be a missionary. My desire to serve the Lord, and spread His love, goes way beyond the borders of this great country that we live in. I want to go wherever it is, that God wants to send me. My dream is to go to Africa! We are all called to go "somewhere". One of my favorite scriptures, pertaining to this request from Jesus, is found in Matthew. It is called The Great Commission.

Matthew 28: 16-20

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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."

What a powerful request. It has tugged at my heart for a long time. Nations. Nations? Am I really up for this kind of challenge? I looked up the meaning of nations in the bible. A nation is a grouping of related people, regardless of their being, or not being united as a country. Related? Related means connected by similarities or a common source; or, belonging to the same family. That got me thinking......

So, here I am...desiring to "do God's work". To "go where He sends me". Wherever that may be. "Send me Lord" has been my prayer. But, oddly enough, in my mind, it's always been somewhere else then I am at the present time. I always look at it as being far away. Different from where I am. What does it truly mean when I say, "Send Me Lord!" Do I honestly want to go where He chooses to send me? What if I am already where He wants me to go?

Our mission field, "the nations", He wants us to go out into...could be a number of places that we have already been. Places that we visit everyday. The truth is, we live among different nations everyday. I am not at all saying that we shouldn't go out to different countries on missionary trips, to spread God's message of love and hope. (I still want to go!) I guess, I have just been missing the nations, that are right under my nose. What about the nations of people that are all around us? Our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, our jobs, our friend circles, our play groups, our church, and our families, are all different "nations" that are right in front of us.

So...I sit...wondering what God will do, wishing for Him to "Send Me"...when at this very moment...I have already been sent. I was sent to be exactly where I am... right now. Why do I struggle with this? Why do I always want something other than what He is giving me. When He says..."Your job and your family are your mission field", I act like I am playing jeopardy with God, and say, "I'll take jungles of Africa for five hundred God." It's not a multiple choice question from God...it's a simple request. Our mission fields aren't always where we want to be, but it's right where God has placed us. And when we are done with that particular mission, He will move us to the next. And who knows...it could lead us one step closer to where we really desire to go. If He can't rely on us to do the small jobs He gives us, why should He rely on us to do the big ones?

Matthew 25:21

His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness."

I still desire to go to Africa. Kenya...to be exact. I believe that I will go....one day. But, at this moment in time, I will tackle (in HIS name) the "jungles" He has put before me...my home, my family, my job, my community, and my life. Thank you God for using me in any way, and in any place... that You see fit.

I Chronicles 4:10

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.