Thursday, April 19, 2007
Ode to Rudyard Kipling - blog by mikey
Currently Listening
Kill Them With Kindness
By The Jealous Sound
see related
I'm sitting at my desk, pondering the existence of man and drinking my wonderful coffee just the way I like it; milk with honey. (hmmm...it's quiet, think i'll put on some music now) (anyone fans of The JealousSound?)
What's in an occupation? My job right now, on 'practical' terms (i don't like that word) is on-line administrator for this ywambase, handling the accounts, and trying my hardest to keep an update onregistrar. On 'unpractical' terms, or the non-physically tangible areasof my mission work, are summed up in the way that I live my life. (Letme know when I loose you.)
These last three months have really got me thinking about my life and my occupation. What does it mean to me to be a missionary? Well...if you got answers, please let me know. ;) This past easter marked the 20th year that I've been a believer in Christ. And from those 20 years, the last 15 I've set my heart onbeing a "Missionary When I Grow Up". Originally this thought was extremely scary. Being eight years old and sitting in the uncomfortable church seats, listening to every visiting pastor whotraveled through my small Floridian town, my child brain, filled with bravery and fantasy, imagined that "I'm growing up to move to Africa and am going to be chased by Tigers!!!". It's irrational now, but fora kid I faced that strong reality with faith, courage and much fear. "Ok God," I'd pray, "if you came by fire and by cloud, then you canprotect me from tigers....right?" I'd say my 'amens' with a lump in mythroat.
Now days I know it's much different. I've been in fulltime missions for a bit over 3 years now and...I've never been toAfrica. Sure I've seen my share of tigers, but they've all been behindbars, or dodgy-chain-link fences. Oh! I saw a sloth once! Uh...I was15 and it was ...slow. At any rate, 12 years after those prayers, I'mrealizing that being a missionary doesn't mean that you're going to bechased by Shere Khan. But it does mean you can still be Mowgli. Eventhough my departments are in accounts, e-mails and maintaining theweb-site you're probably reading this from, I can still live with asmuch faith, courage and fear as I once did when I was younger. I'm notsaying that I want my best friend to be a bear and I want to walkaround Belfast wearing a Loincloth but...then again talk about ahead-turner!
What I'm trying to say is that, to me, being a missionary means to behonest to your heart. To follow your heart, wherever it goes, and totrust that those desires are from the Father. That's how to beMowgli. To trust that the Lord is speaking to you through the desireof your heart and to go at it with full force. And if that's everthreatened, then don't run but turn and face your struggles with faith,courage and fear.
And don't forget, all tigers are afraid of burning bushes.
--
--mikey
Kill Them With Kindness
By The Jealous Sound
see related
I'm sitting at my desk, pondering the existence of man and drinking my wonderful coffee just the way I like it; milk with honey. (hmmm...it's quiet, think i'll put on some music now) (anyone fans of The JealousSound?)
What's in an occupation? My job right now, on 'practical' terms (i don't like that word) is on-line administrator for this ywambase, handling the accounts, and trying my hardest to keep an update onregistrar. On 'unpractical' terms, or the non-physically tangible areasof my mission work, are summed up in the way that I live my life. (Letme know when I loose you.)
These last three months have really got me thinking about my life and my occupation. What does it mean to me to be a missionary? Well...if you got answers, please let me know. ;) This past easter marked the 20th year that I've been a believer in Christ. And from those 20 years, the last 15 I've set my heart onbeing a "Missionary When I Grow Up". Originally this thought was extremely scary. Being eight years old and sitting in the uncomfortable church seats, listening to every visiting pastor whotraveled through my small Floridian town, my child brain, filled with bravery and fantasy, imagined that "I'm growing up to move to Africa and am going to be chased by Tigers!!!". It's irrational now, but fora kid I faced that strong reality with faith, courage and much fear. "Ok God," I'd pray, "if you came by fire and by cloud, then you canprotect me from tigers....right?" I'd say my 'amens' with a lump in mythroat.
Now days I know it's much different. I've been in fulltime missions for a bit over 3 years now and...I've never been toAfrica. Sure I've seen my share of tigers, but they've all been behindbars, or dodgy-chain-link fences. Oh! I saw a sloth once! Uh...I was15 and it was ...slow. At any rate, 12 years after those prayers, I'mrealizing that being a missionary doesn't mean that you're going to bechased by Shere Khan. But it does mean you can still be Mowgli. Eventhough my departments are in accounts, e-mails and maintaining theweb-site you're probably reading this from, I can still live with asmuch faith, courage and fear as I once did when I was younger. I'm notsaying that I want my best friend to be a bear and I want to walkaround Belfast wearing a Loincloth but...then again talk about ahead-turner!
What I'm trying to say is that, to me, being a missionary means to behonest to your heart. To follow your heart, wherever it goes, and totrust that those desires are from the Father. That's how to beMowgli. To trust that the Lord is speaking to you through the desireof your heart and to go at it with full force. And if that's everthreatened, then don't run but turn and face your struggles with faith,courage and fear.
And don't forget, all tigers are afraid of burning bushes.
--
--mikey
