:: greatness is a life well-lived ::

dreams of missions

I just remembered a dream I had last night. Of course it's fuzzy and hard to explain, but I dreamt about the five missionaries who were killed in Ecuador in 1956 - Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Ed McCauley, Roger Youderian. I don't remember details or even if they make sense, but although in reality they were speared to death, in my dream it was some kind of poison that had been shot at them, and I was there as the drama unfolded, but also their families were too, unlike the real story, where they were flown into a small, remote strip of beach in the middle of nowhere - in Auca Land - in the Amazon jungle.

Perhaps this dream came because I recently browsed a book on my kitchen table by Elisabeth Elliot "Shadow of the Almighty" and it had pictures of Jim and the others...perhaps because missions is often on my mind, perhaps as subconscious processings of the costs of a missions-committed life. I don't know, but I was reminded of my dream when picking some music to listen to while I work, and saw the soundtrack to an incredible documentary about those missionaries, called Beyond the Gates of Splendor produced by Every Tribe Entertainment, who are also coming out with a full-length movie in January, called End of the Spear. Watch the trailer. It looks incredible. A must see.

And this coming January, it's 50 years since that significant time in the history of missions. Watching the documentary, viewing even just the trailer, hearing the music, reading books of those missionaries, hearing story after story of missionaries who give up what is "normal" and "comfortable" to serve God with their lives, no matter the cost, even their very lives...you would think it'd be a deterrent in my interest. But it is not, by any means, by any stretch of the imagination.

Is my life worth so much that I would not be willing to give it, not just half-heartedly or withholding, but running full-fledged into the Lord's hands, wherever and whatever God would have me go and do?

Yet faithfulness and obedience now are my task, my place, my training. I don't know what I'll face in days or years to come, but all I know is the time I have is not to be wasted, just as I would not desire to waste time "out there." And so, I dig in my heals and open my eyes to see what God is doing here and now where I'm comfortable and at ease, and await (and prepare for) the day when I may be called to give up those comforts and safety for the sake of the Gospel.

posted by FaithChristine @ 14:14