A Mission

As soon as my feet touched the ground in Clemson, life took off at 1,000 mph. I moved into my apartment where I'll be living for the next three years. Overall, being back at school was a truly bittersweet feeling. I was excited to be back and to move forward, but the memories of the difficulties of freshman year haunted me. Freshman year is hard on everyone, but throwing extra health issues into the mix only makes it more difficult.

I love my apartment, and I especially love my darling roommate, Sarah. After moving in all weekend, we wanted to go to church on Sunday morning. Grace Church is in Anderson, so we had a thirty minute drive to get there.

Sarah and I became very good friends during first semester of freshman year, and we hadn't been able to talk all that much this summer since we had both been busy. During the car ride, we were catching up and talking when I began to tell her about some friends of mine that had recently visited. A friend had told me about his experiences and the work he had been doing overseas. There was a natural disaster that took place, and he went to help. He said "I don't like calling it a missions trip. I just pack my things and go where the Lord wills. It's not some special trip; it's just what God calls us to do every day."

As I told Sarah that, we both got chills. "It's just what God calls us to do every day."

As Christ-followers, I think we often forget about what we're called to be doing. Yes, it's so important to go to church, build community, and read your bible. But our life is a mission.

Many of us have been on some mission trip at least once in our lifetime. Whether in middle school or in your 40s. When people think of a mission trip, many people think of themselves wearing a tshirt and old shorts with no make up and minimum showers for a week. They think of playing with children and randomly stopping strangers on the street to tell them about Jesus. They think of extreme generosity and kindness.

Sarah and I were talking about this idea. The calling from Christ to spread his name to the uttermost parts of the earth. The idea of a mission trip. Sarah said, "just imagine what Clemson's campus would look like if we lived like we were on a mission trip every day!"

So now, envision yourself on a mission trip; volunteering to fix someones house, buying someone a meal, telling a stranger about the love of God, teaching children from broken homes about a Father who will never let them down, donating the shoes off your own feet to a homeless man who has none.

Now, envision what life around you would be like if you lived this way every day. Isn't it beautiful? When I envision that kind of life, I see a life full of love and kindness around me, lacking hate and prejudice. I see a life where more and more people begin to follow hard after God.

It's not a mission trip, it's what God calls us to do every day.

Jesus is coming soon.


xoxo,
Hannah

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