I'm A Missionary.

Ever since I was 12 years old, I dreamed about doing something big for God. I had a strong inclination that the Lord was calling me to be a missionary, or that He would at some point. For a time, I equated that to sharing the Gospel in a cross-cultural context. To me, that was something “big.” The Lord has continually revealed to me that being a missionary is not limited to a place or vocation. A missionary is someone on a mission to share the Gospel wherever they are. I believe I get to live out this calling on my life right now.

During the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to go to Uganda, Africa for a missions internship with a Christ-centered ministry known as Good Shepherd’s Fold. There I experienced the richness, beauty, and authenticity of international missions. A conversation that I had with one of the long term missionaries there changed my perspective. I remember her saying to me, “I don’t always like being called a missionary because I’m doing the same thing I would be doing in the States, just somewhere else.”

That took me by surprise. She had left the life she knew to serve where there was a need. Surely she was doing something extraordinary for the Lord, but she saw no need for the distinction. She was working hard to utilize her skills for the kingdom and sharing the love of Christ along the way. Who she was continued to be revealed in how she was walking with the Lord and those around her day to day. It had less to do with the context of where she was.

What I’m learning is that my job is not my calling. My calling transcends an occupation or even a place. Funny enough, it took spending time with international missionaries to recognize that. For a time, I wasn’t so sure that I would be able to make a “big impact” for Christ if I didn’t work in ministry. But you don’t have to wait for this or that career or title to finally be able to fulfill all that God has for
your life. There is so much beauty and opportunity to serve Him where you are now.

God is perfectly intentional with where He places us. He does not make mistakes. Maybe you’re disappointed in how your plans are unfolding. Maybe you find yourself doing something completely different from what you originally anticipated. The truth is, every single day can be a beautiful sacrifice to God. Our work, gifts, and our passions are just expressions of our deeper purpose to live out our lives uniquely for the Lord. When we are faithful to obey God in the season and place that we are in, we are less likely to miss the opportunities that God has placed directly in front of us. In the Lord’s wisdom and sovereignty, maybe He’s placed you precisely where you are to love one person, share hope with them, and to grow you too.

The Lord is still teaching me what true ministry is. God invites us to partner with Him to seek out the lost around us. That could be across the globe, across the street, in your office, at your school, within your home, anywhere. As long as there are lost people and we’ve got breathe in our lungs, there is still work to do. Our whole lives are intended to be our ministry. We get to worship God with how we live and work, wherever our feet are. This ministers to people. Alongside our actions, Jesus commissions us to speak the Truth to others. The Truth is what sets people free.

The Enemy, our own flesh, and the world want us to believe that we need to arrive somewhere or at a title before we can begin to make a difference for the kingdom. The truth is, we can live out our purpose right now. Give God today. Give Him the small moments of your life. Be faithful. Love the people He’s put around you. Share the Gospel with them. Do what the Bible says. Work hard as unto the Lord and not to men. Use your gifts for His glory. You don’t have to wait to live out your calling. What if we sought to fulfill all that God has for us today, instead of trying to figure out how God will use our whole lives?

Holding a temporary title on this earth doesn’t make a difference in eternity. How you live the life that Christ has given you can make an impact on eternity. The titles we acquire or give ourselves can be helpful in understanding our purpose, but they don’t define us. Being a missionary is one of the deepest callings I’ve felt from the Lord throughout my life and I get to live out that out right now. If the Lord calls me elsewhere, I want to have the kind of faith that would be willing to say yes to wherever that is.

So, whatever season of life you’re in, I pray that God gives you abundant opportunities to witness for Him, that you would have the courage to use your passions, gifts, and talents to glorify Him and to serve others. And that you would seek to be faithful in the context and circumstances you are in, today. For the glory of God. In Jesus name. Amen.

- Summer Broadbridge