"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Luke 10:2)."
Each of the groups has different approaches on mission. It's clear that the Lord molded each as such that they will cover the different purposes of evangelization. Some are focused on the youth, some for the whole family, some for the environment, and others for the poor. Here are some of my realizations:
Overcoming Our Weaknesses through Others' Strengths.
The Lord has blessed each community with a strength that can complement the weakness of other communities. Not one community has all the talents and skills to build the global mission. I have noticed that many groups have a deep understanding of different crucial topics for mission. There's a group that is strong on Missiology, others are good with Youth Formation and team building, another on the issue of Social Justice, one on Creative Evangelizaton, another on International Missions and Mission exchanges, some on Catechetics, another is strong in the Social Media evangelization approach. What these groups have learned is a product of decades of experience and study and they are willing to share it. What a great blessing. Reflecting on our immediate work and family surroundings, what strength do you have that can be of service to other's weaknesses? What are the key talents and abilities of the people we are working/serving with, that can help hasten an area of our work that is slow moving? In our family, how can we utilize each others God given gifts to help achieve our family goals?
A Humble Heart for an Open Mind
Another realization is that we cannot have open minds if we do not have humble hearts. There is a tendency for our cups to already be filled before going to a teaching, conference, or training. We have to undergo the process of kenosis (emptying of one's self) so that the Lord can fill us with His wisdom. A humble heart is the key to deeper understanding. A humble heart understands the idea of emptying our mental and spiritual cups. A proud posture closes the mind and wanes the interest. The presence of the different lay missionary organizations gain abundance of wisdom by learning from one another. Without humility, one will not bother to mingle and initiate conversation. In our lives, do we pass up opportunities to learn from people who can enrich us? How attentive are we during talks?
Faith Fascinates Us
Lastly, with pure faith, the work of evangelization and mission will continue to fascinate us. Some of us are doing mission work for years. Whether as full time missionary, clergy, or simply as a faithful Christian. We see many of our friends lose heart to continue in the mission. They become inactive, disillusioned, or victims of friendly fire. Lay mission work is not easy. For many of us, it is not our full time job. I have met many lay missionaries in the conference who also have secular work, but go full on with the mission. Faith will dictate that it is the Lord who commissions us and not men. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19)." When mission ceases to excite us or fascinate us, it is usually because of being distant from the Lord. The farther away we are from Him, due to lack of faith and lack of prayer, the more we lose touch of God's exciting plan for the mission he has prepared for us to do. How excited are you to do mission? How far can your faith in God take you?
Let us therefore be generous with the strength God has given us. Strive for humility, so our open minds can gain wisdom. And be faithful for the work ahead of us is more exciting than we can ever imagine. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- (1 Cor. 2:9). We are all workers in the Lord's vineyard, helping one another to achieve one goal, "to sum up all things under Christ (Ephesians 1:10)."
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