In His Steps; To Be Sent Like Jesus

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.”  John 13:3-4

Here is Jesus.  This is the culmination of His time with His disciples.  He has full knowledge of who He is. Beloved Son of the Father who has come from Infinite Love and is returning to that Love as the Risen King.  And it is because of that knowledge that he is able to humble himself as a servant.  

He is in the presence of those He has most intentionally poured out His life for, KNOWING one will betray him, another deny him and the rest, at the very least, doubt every promise he has made in the midst of his darkest hour.

Yet he has the peace of His own true identity which enables him to love them most beautifully in the midst of it.  And even as He humbly loves them, he is also preparing to make the ultimate sacrifice of His life on the cross for the whole world.

Our Savior, in this example, epitomizes for us what it is to ‘be sent’.

He is not running away from those who hurt him the most for the betrayal and denial of his intentional, pouring-everything-out love that has faithfully taught and guided them throughout His earthly ministry.  Rather, he exemplifies the resilience of that love he yet has for them in washing both Judas’ and Simon’s feet.

And He is not performing a desperate act to earn their love or approval.  He is simply, quietly and sincerely living out of confidence, the Perfect Love that defines Him.

So it must be for any of us who truly desire to be sent by God.  While imperfection remains and we fall far short of the depth of purity of our Savior’s mission, there are important questions to ask ourselves if we are considering being sent by God; whether across town, the country or the world.

1)      Are we going because it is simply too hard to remain?
For many years I stayed away from home, doing many wonderful things for the Lord.  I went to foreign countries, the inner city and to high school classrooms.  I worked with all of my heart and strength.  But as much as the passion was real to go, it was equal to the fear of coming home to my family.  Of facing the hardest relationships and circumstances for me to feel successful or even happy.  In a sense, only half of me was really being sent, because the other half was bound up in things I was too proud or afraid to face.

2)      Are we going because we are seeking to win others’ approval?
No matter how many years or how many ways we seek to serve the Lord in fruitful ministry, we can never cease to ask this question.  Is our serving, our being sent, performance-based?  Is our drive to put all of our heart into whatever we are sent to do because we are afraid of letting others down?  Essentially, are we living the very opposite of Christ? Striving to earn the love, respect and positive response of others, both of our leaders and those that we minister to? 

3)      Are we going because we are looking for a sense of self-worth or identity?
For 2012, I chose as my word ‘secure’.  I knew it would be the year I would be sent in the most dramatic way I had yet experienced.  I would make a new country my home and in the process lose all of sense of belonging and identity that comes from my own culture. {Which, whether we realize it or not, is often quite a lot.}  So as I seek to walk with integrity in this call, I need to be constantly asking what about this missionary journey am I allowing to become my identity.

In all of these things I am very much in process.  As I hold up the light and life of the Savior it is as much for me as for any of you.  And it is my fervent prayer that we all learn more and more what it is to be sent as He was sent : from the depths of Infinite Love and stopping at nothing to live out that love.

About Abby

Abby is a small-town loving, big city adventurer.  She and her husband have worked with high school students most of their lives!  Since their internship in Budapest, Hungary in 2005-2006, they have been working with the ministry of CRU.  In May of this year, they moved to Hungary answering God's call to work long-term with the students of Central and Eastern Europe.  Abby loves to laugh, especially at herself, has a passion for God and making Him known and is ever learning how to do that with three small children, ages 5, 3 and one month.  She wouldn't trade the journey for anything!  She blogs regularly at Fan the Flame   

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