When God called me to become a missionary during my Junior year of High-School I actually ran from it for months because the idea of being one frightened me.
In my mind missionaries:
- Constantly put themselves in danger of being bitten by poisonous snakes
- Never had a moment of weakness or fear
- Succeeded at every single ministry they started
- And never needed anybody’s help
The Lord has helped show me none of these are true…and to reveal things I couldn’t have ever imagined about missions work.
The most important being some days missions is boring.
Of course putting yourself on the front lines of ministry isn’t for the faint of heart, but I’ve learned serving on the field isn’t one thrilling adventure after another. The good news is God usually uses “boring ministry” moments more than adventures.
Last Monday I spent just over four hours painting for our upcoming Vacation Bible School. Ending up with four signs that according to the head artist he was “going to have to fix” (he did say it very nicely).
The thing about boring ministry is it doesn’t seem as if a difference is made at all. In a world of instant gratification, I find myself expecting immediate results from my activity, forgetting true growth takes time.
Looking at one-act of boring ministry (like spending four hours painting small signs that will have to be fixed) can become incredibly frustrating…but the point is those acts of ministry are part of a bigger picture.
In order to truly understand their importance, you must wait for the portrait to be finished.
In almost two-weeks VBS will begin. And for five days God will use many hours of “boring ministry” for His Glory as Vincentian children hear the Gospel of Christ.
In that moment every all of the boring moments will be worth it:
- All the drawing
- All the painting
- All the cleaning
- All the trips for chicken and bakes
- All the cutting
The life of a missionary does include boring moments, but by God’s Grace, those moments paint a beautiful picture.
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