Just do it ... and bring along your kids

"Mission is risky.  It involves putting ourselves out of our comfort zones and dealing with people we ordinarily might not engage with" - Right Here Right Now

Lately I've been learning more about missions.  I have been challenged to rethink my beliefs on what God considers as His mission, where I fit into that picture, how motherhood fits into this calling, and what missional living really means.

It has been a great year of stretching my mind, of paradigm shifts, of challenging me to make changes in my life and my family's life.

But one thing kept on bugging me....

Jesus was a rebel in his times.  He never set up a church building or assigned people to start different programs or ministries.  He simply lived with the everyday people of his time.  He simply went to where 'they' were.  He met prostitutes, tax collectors, sinners....

How about me?  For as much as I talk about missions and how we ought to be 'missional' here (as opposed to just seeing missions as something only special people called missionaries do far far away), I honestly did not feel I was actually doing much to reach OUT to people the way Jesus did.  99% of the people I come into contact with are Christians.

"It is not about trying to do what Jesus would do.  Rather, it has to do with thinking the way Jesus thinks in order to live the way Jesus lived" - Right Here Right Now

I recognized there needed to be changes made in my life.  But change is difficult.  Change is scary.  Change requires commitment (am I not already committed to enough Lord?).  Change asks for vulnerability.

"Middle-class culture strives to protect and maintain its sense of privacy as it seeks more and more security, convenience, and comfort.  Learning to live as missionaries in such a culture means that Christians will have to break from the very same propensity and step out of the privatized comfort zones we have created for ourselves if we harbor any hope of creating missional communities" - Right Here Right now

As I continued to wrestle these and other related questions with the Lord, I felt the Lord constantly drawing my attention back to these two thoughts:

- the street where I live; and
- the moms in my neighbourhood

"As you sense the Spirit of God asking you in that quiet, still, voice, "what can you do?" the key is not to ignore that voice but to step out in faith, doing what you can, knowing God will multiply those efforts as only He can"  - The Missional Mom

And something amazing happened - as I let go of my inhibitions and as I told the Lord in faith to just show me what to do, He did exactly that....I had tons of ideas on how to reach out to people (not to preach, simply to connect, to serve, to bond).  Now I had a new challenge.  It was not a lack of ideas but WHERE DO I START?  Everything seemed great but ....

I had no courage to do any of it.

Sometimes I felt all alone in the process.  Sometimes I felt I must be crazy - am I not busy enough as is?  And yet, deep inside, I knew the Lord wanted me to live missionally here and now in order to experience true joy in Him.

****

So tonight, after baking several batches of cookies, I took a deep breath, pushed aside all excuses going through my head (I have to make dinner, Samuel needs to practice piano, it's family time, it's raining outside, people are not home yet....) and decided to do what I have been wanting to do for the last few months:  simply knocking on every door on my street and passing cookies to my neighbours.

I recruited Sarah to help out with the packaging and told her why we were packing cookies.  We put on our jackets and head out.  Simple enough.

But it did not feel simple or easy.

I was nervous.  I was scared.

"Just do it" - the Lord kept pressing on.

It was almost as if recruiting my daughter was one way to keep me going.  Now that she was excited, I could not back down!

First house, first door - people inside peaking through the window.  Face showing doubt, confusion.  I tried to keep on smiling and motioned them to open the door (Please!)

Sarah gave them the cookies in a nicely wrapped Red and green bag and said shyly "Merry Christmas".  Almost immediately the people in the house relaxed and smiled.  (Phew!)  I explained we are neighbours from house #10 and that we simply wanted to wish them a Merry Christmas.

One down...about 10 more to go...

A couple of empty houses.  We move on.  It is getting cold outside.  Sarah is excited.  I am still praying.

Ding Dong.

A lady in her PJs shows up.  Immediate smile from ear to ear when she looks down and sees my little girl handing her cookies.  I find out she just gave birth to her second baby 15 days ago.  Immediate connection.  She asks how old my daughter is because she has another daughter of the same age.  We start talking.  We exchanged names.  I'm feeling excited, encouraged.  She asks for my name and house number again and invites us to come over any time.  She would greatly appreciate any visit.

We move on to a couple of other houses.  Everyone was surprised at first.  But everyone also smiled and started to talk as soon as they saw Sarah - I am thinking...wow...God, thank you for giving me Sarah! - what a great way to break the ice!!!

We rang the bell on another neighbour who had recently moved in.  The entire family opens the door.  Super happy family.  We exchanged a few words and I find out they have a 1 month old baby!  They insisted we go in.  I had to insist we had more houses to go but perhaps if it was ok with them, we'd love to pay a visit another day - I told the mother I was a stay at home mom too.

It took us perhaps no more than 15 - 20 min.  maybe less...to go through every house.  We got home and I felt so good - I am so glad I took this first step.

 It is a start.  A beginning.

"Although the circumstances of our lives change when we become parents, our calling remains the same...mothers often forget how motherhood intersects with the bigger picture of our primary calling and mission" 

"Motherhood does not provide us with the direction we need to go.....Sometimes, we get stuck trying to figure out what we are supposed to do with our lives, when all we have to do is pursue God's mission with intentionality right where we already are" 

- The Missional Mom

The journey continues...of course.  But I am encouraged.  I am glad I packed those cookies and did something with them today that are 'radical' (for me it was!).  I'm sure God has many more radical, exciting challenges for me and that in going in faith I will be reminded of the purpose of why I am here on earth:  To know God more.  To know His heart more.  To abide in Him.  And to be used by Him to tell others of the hope and joy I have.

May this be an inspiration and encouragement to you too - as you find out what the Lord may be asking you to do next to touch the lives of people around you, beside you, behind you...and beyond!

Be Bold!  Start with Small Steps!  Mini Steps if you may!  Joy awaits.

"Being missional is about answering one simple question:  "How can I help you?"  The missional response is not to say "Give me a call if you need help" It's about giving an active response" - The Missional Mom 

"It is impossible to be a missional church if we fail to be missional people"  - Right Here Right Now