I’m not much of a traveler. Growing up, my family didn’t take too many trips or vacations, and I was fine with that. I’m one of those people who is almost completely content in whatever environment I find myself. Traveling gives me anxiety, because I like to know every little detail that is planned, and if anything is ever just a tiny bit off, you’ll see me frantically running around because we’re the smallest bit off schedule.
Throughout high school, I had the opportunity to go on many mission trips with c|Life, with domestic destinations, such as Dallas and New Mexico, as well as international locations, like Guatemala. Like I said, traveling gives me anxiety, and these trips were no exception. I loved those trips so much, however the nerves were still there.
If I ever found myself bugging out, I would think about the reason I was there: to share the gospel. Now, I don’t know why that calmed me down, but it did. It got me excited to be a part of something so much bigger, an opportunity God had given me to play a tiny role in his big picture. It got me excited, whether working in food pantries in Dallas, painting houses in New Mexico, or teaching Bible stories in Guatemala.
We know that this was what Jesus was all about. We know that he served a purpose while walking the earth, which was to tell people who he was and what he was there to do. He knew that there was another place that he would call home, but there was a mission to accomplish while here. We see that mission clearly in Luke 19:
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.
— Luke 19:10
We get to be a part of this. He has called us to play a role. We are told to tell others. We are told to make disciples, to go beyond the walls of the places we currently are and to tell others about the life we have received because of the life that was given for us.
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
— Romans 10:14–15
How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news! In case you missed it, we’re the messengers. We’re the people who get to spread the good news. We’re the ones who are called to tell others. While this place is not our home, but a temporary place we reside, we have a mission to accomplish, just like Jesus.