Go After the One

What's our purpose? What has God called each of us to do with the life that He's given to us? It's interesting that this topic has come up in a variety of places of late, including with my youth. We've been talking about identity lately and what our identity in Christ looks like. Purpose has arisen from this series. What does God want us to do?

In first year university, we all thought we'd know the exact direction of our life's goal by the time we graduated, and perhaps, for a moment, we did know, as a job fell into our lap and our horizons broadened from school life to work life - real adult life. It's luster was soon gone as challenges called to question our vocation and the path we'd taken. Was I really meant to do this? Was this my life's career purpose? (Because, let's be real, our purpose is not wrapped up entirely in what brings in a paycheck.)

This was why I wanted the lightning bolt moment from God in making the decision to come out to Chauvin Gospel Centre. I wanted that unmistakable, punch-you-in-the-face-with-the-answer moment to look back on when I began to question why I was out here in this vast prairie. God saw, in His goodness, not to give me that undeniable moment, but saw fit to have me piece it together. Sure enough, those voices of doubt quickly began to rear their false heads.

This past week, I sat in the Black Pearl (my appropriately named car), wiping away tears and stifling the accompanying sounds of crying. God, WHAT ON EARTH is my purpose out here? I know it's only been a couple months, but no one has come to accept Your gift of salvation through my work and no one has started to come to church to even seek You out because of my work. It's all well and fine to receive encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Christ who already know You, but I want to see this region changed because they love You! I want to see people falling in love with You for the first time and to see those who already know You go out and work with You to bring people into Your Kingdom.

I asked God for one thing: That at least one person would come to know and love and follow Jesus because of God working through me here.

It's not any talent or "specialness" of mine that causes that, but following God in my ministry. It's not about what you can do, but about listening to and obeying what God wants you to do. God, may we seek out the one; the one person whose name You have called and who is on their way to You; the one who You love and for whom all of our work of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ is worth it.

Luke 15:1-7
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. ² Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.