Making the decision to become a missionary family has certainly been adventurous, but it can have it's moments of challenge. Overwhelmingly, people have been very supportive of our decision, but there have been some who have not. What's strange is it can come from those who are closest to you. Maybe it's because they are worried, misinformed, or just plan think your crazy! Either way it can still be very hurtful. This does not change God's call for our lives and when He calls we must go.
What these moments in this journey do call for is forgiveness! I mean the kind of forgiveness that does not seek an apology or even a kind word back from the other person. This can be tough because you want to hear another person acknowledge that they were wrong, but when we forgive it should be totally. I have given quite a bit of reflection on this lately as Bernie can attest!
The reason we forgive shouldn't be because they are our sibling, best friend, or even our parents. We should forgive because that particular individual is made and created in God's image and deserves love. No matter how awful they have treated us they still deserve to be loved! I will admit this is way hard, but what a testimony to everyone's missionary call. To be able to be the face of Jesus to those who have treated us poorly and to give them the example of our unwavering yes to His call. What a gift has been given to us!!!
God's call for us to evangelize is a gift. His call for my family to enter into missions is a gift. This includes the difficult times as well! I can say that even in our short time since making this decision God has already stretched me in so many ways, His grace has abounded in so many way, and we haven't even left the country! So to forgive or not to forgive really is not the question that should be asked at all. Rather, how willing are you to love?
In Christ,
Chip
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