One of the pastors at our church, Pastor Ryan, gave a sermon last week about The Great Commission.

Matthew 28: 18-20 states (NKJV) “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

To be honest, I have always had some apprehension with that verse.  I have never seen myself as a world missionary, traveling to the dark corners of the world.  I have felt incredibly unqualified to do so for many reasons; lack of knowledge (in general, when it comes to things Biblical and spiritual), a fondness for creature comforts (let’s just be real – I like my comfortable mattress and running water), and a home body nature (I don’t do well being away from home for more than about a week).

Pastor Ryan broke down this verse in a way that I hadn’t heard or thought about before.  His point was that we don’t have to be able to quote the Bible chapter and verse (Could I have previously told you that The Great Commission was somewhere at the end of at least one of the gospels prior to this sermon? Yes, but I could not have told you which Gospel or the exact Biblical citation without looking it up) in order to be effective.  Pastor Ryan’s point was that we are called to share our story and our experience with God wherever it is that God plants us.  For some of us, that may very well be in Africa or India or the Middle East.  My boss at work is also a pastor and she and her husband go on an annual mission trip to Europe, and her stories of lives touched for the Gospel are amazing.  I have another friend who has started going to Russia annually to share Christ’s love through Improv comedy (he doesn’t speak any Russian, but that doesn’t stop him).  For some of us, that may be our corner coffee house, with something as simple as a smile to the clerk who rings up our purchase and a question “What can I pray about for you today?”

The word “commission” has previously felt like this huge, weighty word – where a big, heavy mantle is placed on your shoulders by someone with authority greater than you and then you are sent out, alone, with an assignment and you are not to return until that assignment has been completed.  (Insert Mission Impossible music here).  And yet the Bible states (yes, I had to go look up this reference just now too!) in Matthew 11: 28-30 (NKJV) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

At the end of Pastor Ryan’s sermon last week, the Holy Spirit showed me that the word “commission” is really “co-mission;” that He is always there with us every step of the way.  He will send us out into the world with our own assignment, but our assignment is also His assignment and that He supplies everything we need to step forward into our calling.  I found that thought to be very comforting and terrifying all at the same time.  Comforting to know that being called and stepping out in faith is not like the Indiana Jones scene where he steps out over the cavern and hopes that the bridge shows up in time – the Holy Spirit has already gone before us to prepare our way.  Psalm 16:19 (NKJV) states “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”  Terrifying that there is no excuse not to be open and share my own walk of faith locally if my calling does not lead me into foreign countries (who knows, maybe this blog will end up in foreign countries, even if I am not physically present there).

I haven’t posted anything in the past several months, in large part due to some family health issues over the summer that required immediate attention and were time consuming.  JJ’s and my life has just started to “get back to normal” starting probably mid-late September and I have again felt the urge to write.  Until this morning, I have honestly given in to the “you’re not qualified” thoughts that surface for me frequently when I plan to electronically put pen to paper.  The thought that keeps coming back is that I am going to have to let go of what other people think about me in order to step forward into where I believe God has called me and trust that the words I am given will speak to the right people, on the right day, at the right time.

My story is my story.  Your story is your story.  No two stories will be the same and are not meant to be the same as we all have our own slice of humanity that God has planned for us to come in contact with while we are here on Earth.  I have made many mistakes along the way.  Over the past few years, God has shown me that being open about my mistakes and letting others know where I started to where I am now is a powerful gift that has the ability to touch many lives.  I’ll do my best to share my stories as we go.  Please feel free to share your stories too as that is how we learn from one another as we journey through our co-missions.