Adventure - Day 12

For 14 years, I served as a campus chaplain at an Adventist University that was well known for sending student missionaries to serve around the world.  These students would take a year out of their collegiate career to teach elementary children in PohnPei, serve at an orphanage in Honduras, work on radio towers in far away lands so more people could have access to the good news of Jesus Christ.  

When the student missionaries returned, they almost always had two responses to give you when you asked them, “What was it like?”

First they’d often say, “It was the hardest year of my life.”

That always hit heavy and peaked curiosity of the listener to ask why.  But before the listener could respond, the student would immediately follow that first line up with a second one, “But it was also the best year of my life.”

They grew so much in their time away, learned so much about themselves, about other cultures, about the needs around the world, and about Jesus.
But rest assured, no matter where they went or what they did, their year was full of risks.  Some for safety, some for spiritual battles, some for health, and some involved just fighting the feeling of inadequacy - ”Who am I to serve?”

Every year, the parents of these students who wanted to go out and serve would call into our office.  Often, they were worried about the location their student wanted to go, and would ask us to find a place that had less risk, or really no risk would have been preferable.

Our response?  There is no such thing as risk and no risk.  Every choice we make involves risk.  It involves risk to serve Jesus in Thailand, and it involves risk to serve Jesus in Portland.  It involves risk to drive to work, or fly to vacation (statistically, it’s safe to fly than drive).  

Jesus’ life was always at risk, from the moment He was conceived by the Holy Spirit into the womb of Mary.  He was at risk from dying with high infant mortality rates at that time.  He was at risk from the religious community being seen as a bastard son.  He was at risk from the local authorities who wanted all the power.  He would be at risk from Rome who didn’t want anyone challenging their authority.  Yet He chose that risk because of His great love for us, and we’re told He would have done it all even if it only saved one person.

So I guess the question comes for us all, what will we risk for Jesus. What adventure will we go on for Him?

JOURNAL

1. What are we willing to risk for the one who risked everything for you?
2. What is one of the hardest things you’ve ever done for the cause of Christ and how did it turn out?  How did you turnout after all was said and done?
3. What are some ways you and I can encourage the body of believers to take more risks for Jesus and His kingdom?