Missions and the Great Commission

The young woman waited nervously at the shore for the boat to return to carry the next load of children to safety on the other side.  If someone saw them, it would be the end of Gladys Aylward and over one hundred children she had helped cross the mountains to escape.  The boat was almost to the shore, and then – it was time for me to put down my book and go to supper.  As a girl, between the ages of eleven and fourteen, I had a love for foreign missions.  My favorite missionaries were Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, and (more recently) Katie Davis. I dreamed of going into foreign missions and helping orphaned children just like they did.

I wanted to take risks to be a friend to people who had been rejected, help those who were in need, and love unwanted children.  I wanted to give hope to the hopeless and serve my Savior.  I think that many Christians have those same desires – we want to make a difference in the world.  We should have these desires, because we are commanded to go into all the world and teach the Gospel.  However, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) does not just apply to people in the foreign mission field and their supporters; it applies to every Christian, wherever you are, right now.  The term all nations does not exclude the place you are living in right now.

On the outside, it may seem that America has never been better off, especially compared to third-world places where we send missionaries.  However, there are hurting people, broken families, dying children, and a desperate need for the love of Christ all around us, right here in America.  As Christians we have a responsibility to show Christ’s love to the people we see in our everyday lives.  We shouldn’t let the love of Christ only be shown to other nations by just a few missionaries who we send money to and pray for occasionally; rather, all Christians should be doing what we can to love others in our ordinary lives.  As for me, my dreams of loving and helping those who need it never changed, but I did decide that I am willing to do those things wherever God sends me – even if it’s just down the street.  I may never leave my country or live anywhere besides the same place I was born and raised, but I will try to show the love of God and reliability of His Word to others in need wherever I am.