this day

A few days ago, I was talking to a friend about life.

As we caught up about the big concert and heading into a new year in Haiti, she said with frustration, "Talking to you guys about everything you're doing, I feel like I'm just doing NOTHING for His kingdom.  Everything in my life is about my life!"

While we did eventually get to talking about some ways that she could be more involved in ministry the Lord seems to be continually drawing her attention to, the highlight of the conversation was being able to share with her all the ways I see the Lord using her that maybe she wasn't even aware of.

Ministering, daily, to her husband in a million practical (but often challenging and sacrificial) ways.  Being the only Christ follower in the lives of most of her inner circle.  Being the only Christ follower at her job.  How faithfully she prays for her children.

Being faithful.

Recognizing these daily things as our life's ministry, as places for HIS work in our lives, is powerful.  It changes how we see the daily things, from making lunch to washing clothes to how we pray.  

I know it because this has been my season.

The last day we were in Haiti in April, Matt backed up my computer.  Every day since, a little box flashes in the top corner of my screen that says, "Your computer hasn't been backed up for ___ days." A few days ago, tears sprung to my eyes when it said "103 days."

How tempting it has been, these 103 days, to believe that I'm just doing NOTHING.  Even today, as our campus in Haiti is full and busy, I am sitting in Florida.  Waiting.  Diapering.  Feeding.  Praying.  Familying.

I'm not hiking to mountain churches to pray with new believers, no one is coming in my office Monday morning to share testimonies from the weekend, no one is coming to my home needing help, no orphans have come to play with Lily and rejoiced as I've fed them, no dozen visitors have relied on my table.

Instead, a hundred gracious family have hosted US.  A dozen beautiful believers have helped ME.  Faithful followers have pressed $10 into my hand, prayed over my children, cooked for my family.

In these 103 days, in any 103 days, it's easy to get distracted, to get busy, and to genuinely NOT be a part of His kingdom-work in the least.  No matter WHERE we live.

But it's also possible, powerfully so, to continually evaluate His current placement of us. To minister where we are at, even at times in our own hearts.  To give Him our ugly, our grouchy, our impatient, our selfish, our worried, and let Him fill us with His grace, love and joy.  It is possible to be powerfully used by Him.  TODAY.

To look at those around us, right now, as our mission-field, as His kingdom, and serve them and love them and minister to them as such.

To take these days--of sickness or waiting or wondering or searching or working or resting or grandparenting or whatever--and make them days of sacrifice for others.  Days of dying to ourselves. Days of living out Christ.  Days of being the Gospel, days of prayer, days of loving well.

ASK someone, today, what they see your current ministry as being.  Ask Him, today, to show you where He is at work through your life, where He wants to be.

When I say (I know, over and over :) that we are all missionaries, this is exactly what I'm trying to say.

We all CAN and should be, as Christ followers.  But it doesn't happen on accident.