I had lunch with somebody new today. Her brother is very dear to my heart, so it was a treat to finally meet her.

She significantly impacted me today, without her knowledge. 

As a nurse in the delivery department of a local hospital, she gets to see the daily miracle of birth everyday. By the look on her face when she talks about it, she absolutely loves her job. The Lord has been very sweet to her.

I followed her blog during the World Race, so I primarily wanted to hear all about her trip. We looked through her slideshow of pictures (I could look at pictures all day and not get bored) and, my goodness, the love she has for the world is astounding. This is the part that got me: the depth of emotion she still felt when looking at year-old pictures. The depth of emotion she expressed when she told stories. She had tears in her eyes. 

Very often, I think, “Oh, that’s sad” and go on to the next thing. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a heart! I guess I turn to contemplation instead of emotion. But her heart for missions… Gosh. It’s not just an, “Oh-that’s-nice” heart for missions but a real one, longing for people to know the Lord.  

I was thinking to myself, “Am I not passionate enough about missions? Do I not have a burden for the world as much as she does? Does my level of expressed emotions mean that I don’t care as much as she?”

Perhaps. But I love the world. I’ve always had a burden for people to know Jesus [ as every Christian should, if they want others to want what they have: salvation ]. It’s one my the greatest joys when a person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus. 

As much as I know that I don’t need to justify my differences, I like processing. I don’t need to compare myself to the wonderful woman I had lunch with yesterday, but I can take things away from our conversation and personally apply them to my life. Although I may not ever do the World Race, or a long-term mission trip to that caliber, I am constantly on mission. I believe that God called our family to America to be missionaries. That’s our calling. Every thing else is blurred in comparison to the clarity of Christ’s calling. 

God prompted conviction in my heart as a catalyst for change; so my heart would look a little more like His.