Committment
I have been thinking lately about the amount of (or lack thereof) commitment that most young people are willing to make these days as they consider going into overseas missions work. I have noticed this as I have been in the process of trying to build a team to work among the Arab Muslim poor in the slums of North Africa for the past few years. Thus far I have been joined by no one.
As I have been meeting with various young people, and have come into contact with many young people who are serving on the missions field, I have noticed that the most common response that they make as to why they are only going to serve for two-to-five years, is because that is all they feel God is calling them to.
Why is this? Does God no longer call people to give their entire lives for His service? Does He not ask us to take up the cross and follow Him for the rest of the time that we have to spend on this earth?
Sometimes it seems as people only think that He asks us to follow Him for a few years, and then we can go back to doing whatever it is that we think we would like to do.
I have begun to wonder lately if when young people choose to go overseas to serve in missions work for only two-to-five years, if they are doing it only for their own self-gratification. I say this because I honestly do not think that we can expect to see the transformation of communities (especially slum communities in the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist world) in such a short amount of time. And if this is true, then shouldn’t we be willing to give the next 20 years of our lives to the task that is before us?
I have met so many young people on the missions field who tell me that they are there for two or three years, and then after that they will see where “God is leading them next.” To me, this honestly seems like a very selfish way of going into it. It seems like the two years of service are actually nothing more then two years of adventure. Two years of learning another language, experiencing another culture, eating unusual foods, wearing different clothes, etc. It does not seem like it is anything more then going for what they can get out of it.
God however asks for our lives. I believe that He is calling young people to go into overseas missions work with the intention of making it their lifelong work. Not a two-year cross-cultural adventure. That is what graduate students in Anthropology do. Not followers of the One who gave up His rightful place in Heaven to come and live among us on earth, in poverty, only to eventually end up being rejected, beaten, spat upon, and brutally murdered by the very ones He came to save.
He gave His everything and if we are to be His disciples we must do the same.
Let the graduate student in Anthropology take the adventures for a short period of time and then return home to his or her comforts, but let the follower of Christ who is called into overseas missions work go into it with the intention of spending his or her entire life serving those least among us…
Peace,
Matthew Pascal
posted by Matthew Pascal @ 2:07 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
You're right that people have a much harder time making longer term committments than they used to.
Sometimes it may be selfishness and a desire simply to have an experience, but I think just as often it's fear or a lack of confidence. They don't want to commit longer without seeing things firsthand.
And sometimes that's wise. I'm interested to see how many people make longer term committments once they've done their first two years on the field.
I wonder how much of this lack of commitment--which extends into so many areas of life--could be traced back to the consumerist mentality. So often people live with the "If this isn't what I want, there are always more options" mindset, so that nothing seems permanent and there is no sense of need to work through difficult things.
There has also been a significant shift in terminology and expectations recently that influence this. In one recent "long term" commitment invitation I received, the expectation was that two years would be all that I could possibly commit (which is true neither of my ability nor my desire). Since when did two years become long term? I have had painful conversations lately with people going three or six months and calling that "long term" because it was "too stretching" for them to think about even a year. For those of us who are trying to give our lives, it is a disservice to ask for so little as a few years, and for those who are considering it is (I think) necessary to challenge them into a vision that is bigger and longer and so worth all the costs and difficulties.
Dear Anonymous,
I agree COMPLETELY that it is a disservice to those of us who are considering long term work to only ask and challenge us to make a 2 year committment. I believe that us youngsters need and desire to be challenged into a vision that is much longer (and more costly) then simply a few years.
Wordcat,
You are probably correct in saying that there are lots of people out there who will commit longer after seeing things on the field. I also would be interested to see how many people who went into missions with a two-to-five year mindset made longer term commitments after their first few years on the field.
Keep preachin' bro... Man, the next time you're in the States, I'll be your PR manager and book you some teaching spots... should've gotten you to Williams when I had the chance, oh wait, or is it we're too far north of the M/D? *wink* that's what Amy B used to say. :)
I keep trying to go, but i can't seem to. In the meantime, while I wait, I'll gain tools and skills that would serve cities and communities... but sometimes the wait is painful... - JR in Boston
Hey JR,
I'm glad you put the "in Boston" part, as I was having a bit of difficulty figuring out who you were...
I would have loved to have come up to Williams College for a visit, but alas, it didn't work out... Maybe next time.
My next post is going to address some of what you just began to touch on (being content in all circumstances), so more on that within the next day or three and a half...
Peace,
Mathew Pascal
(First, glad to hear things are rolling, somewhere, for you now.)
It's mainly selfishness and a lack of faith. I know because I am included. Young people don't want to make the kind of sacrafice you have taken. You are very unique nowadays, which is sad. My ministry was YL and now I don't have one. You could basically make the case for me or any other single Christian to follow a long-term mission commitment. We know we are called, we just choose to ignore it. We know that nothing we could ever do would ever repay Christ for His own sacrafice, even though God deserves our best effort. We know there are many that need someone to care or try to care, even though we turn a blind eye. We grow too content in our lives to give it up for a life of committed faith, where we have no clue where God will take us. We like to have our control, at least as much as we can hold onto. I've said this before to you, I could not do what you are doing. But let's be honest, you can't either and that is my point. You chose to jump out of the boat and have faith in our Lord, no matter the cost. I could too. We all could. We all should. But, we are selfish chickens we it all gets boiled down. I admire you for having strength where I do not. Keep the faith bro. -Biggie (Labig)
Hey Matthew! Slow down. Each of us is unique - some clearly have a call like you, some think they may. Be joyous when someone tries for a "short term" - because you never know what may come of it and how that effort may play out. And we are all continually growing and testing our God-given talents. Let people try their talents, develop, and see if they can "make the team" - can you make the team? As you may or may not know, I tried and made several SHHS teams, but just did not have the talent to stay the course, but some good (personal and team) came from those efforts. Two of Jesus' disciplines were silence and solitude. When he would leave the mission field - was it lack of commitment, or to recharge in conversation with his heavenly father? Just some things to think about. Love, Uncle J
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