Last weekend we made the trek to Ontario for a women’s event. Travel weary from six weekends in a row of events, I felt ready to sleep in my own bed. And, I must admit, I’m not fond of international travel of any kind. I have this secret fear that I’m going to accidentally break a law and end up in jail. And, I just don’t feel well after long stretches of travel.
Once we got our rental car and began our several hour journey to the camp, I realized how exhausted I was. My eyelids were heavy, my soul burdened about something I couldn’t shake, and I found myself thinking things like, “It’s so much easier to stay home. Traveling exhausts me and it takes me a few days to bounce back from every trip.” Just then I opened to a page in a book that essentially said (my paraphrase), “If you are a Christ-follower, you’ll follow where He leads. You’ll do what He says, when He says, whether it’s inconvenient, costs you something, or feels over your head.”
I sat there stunned by my own selfishness. Lord, have mercy. I asked forgiveness for trying to make my own rules and set my own guidelines for following Jesus. And for being such a sissy.
What transpired over the weekend absolutely took my breath away. One woman approached Kev and me with tears in her eyes. She looked around the room, then back at us and said, “I want what they have. I want to know God like that.” We shared the gospel and prayed with her to receive Christ. Women who’d wandered far from God came running back to Him. Many women encountered Him in a way that changed everything for them.
We drove away overwhelmed and grateful that we dared follow Jesus to a remote camp in Ontario, Canada.
Once we got cell service, I watched the internet blow up within the Christian community. A well-known leader, when asked for a two-word association for Beth Moore replied, “Go home.” Many in the crowd laughed at her expense. There’s more to this exchange than I’ll share here, but suffice to say, this man’s words cut to the heart of many women who feel called to the Great Commission.
Recently on Middays, I spoke with Ashley Abercrombie, author of the book, “Rise of the Truth Teller: Own Your Story, Tell is Like it Is, and Live with Holy Gumption.”
She writes,
We are neither helpless nor hopeless. We are the helpers, the truth tellers, the healers, and the bridge builders. We can’t do everything, but we can do the next thing, whatever it is, in front of us right now. Faithful in the small things. One step at a time.
We will one day stand before a most Holy God and give an account for our lives. We won’t be able to point to our critics, blame the bullies, or pull the insecurity card as our reason for burying our talents. Jesus has work for us to do. People to encourage. Souls to save. Hearts to heal. So many souls wait in the valley of decision. How will they hear about Jesus unless someone tells them? How will they know about His love unless we show them?
People will always have opinions about how you should steward your gifts. Some may even tell you to go home. But guess what Jesus says?
Go home? Go forth!Go out into the world and share the good news with all of creation.
Mark 16:15 VOICE
