“Regard it all as joy, my brothers, when you face various kinds of temptations; for you know that the testing of your trust produces perseverance.” –James 1:2
The short time spent in Haiti this past week was none too different than the time I spent in Africa last summer—and I suppose that’s how it should be. It was full of joy, excitement, ministering, discomfort, exhortation, perseverance, unfamiliarity, observation and investment of our time and prayers; it was, for me, also a time of comfort. On going home I noticed, once again, that life always seems easier when I’m away from my life. Not because I’m so busy at home, or because I have more redundant responsibilities at home, and especially not because my life is hard or difficult—it is far from any of those things. On the contrary, my life is incredibly blessed. Rather, it is because I feel farther from me. I’m taken out of my comfort zone, my schedule, the things that I am used to and tend to wrongly identify with, and I am placed in unfamiliar, unpredictable, and (in Haiti) dirty, hot, and sweaty circumstances. All of these to the typical person from any developed nation make for an undesirable predicament. But I have found in this situation, as any lover of Christ will, something far more desirable than my comforts of home—I have found the comfort of God. When I am in a situation that initially makes me uncomfortable I am forced to rely on God and his Spirit to comfort me. When I feel so physically hot, sticky, dirty, and maybe sick, I am reminded to pray and think how miniscule these temporary physical trials of mine are compared to the life-long ones of those around me, and I am reminded of the sufferings of Christ. He reminds me that this life is merely a vapor, that I am not only told I will suffer in life, but that I am called to suffer in this life. It is a privilege to suffer anything at all for the sake of his name, and so I am not only comforted but also overjoyed.
The mission field is a field of ministry to others, a field specifically to spread the Kingdom, a field of
affliction and trials, and a field of growth. We grow when we suffer for Christ, and so suffering should be a road that we are more than glad to be on considering the destination to which it brings us. Christ suffered for us to bring eternal life, and we are called to share in that suffering as joint-heirs. The people of Haiti suffer everyday, some for Christ and some for themselves. When I saw people afflicted with starvation and poor water, disease and abuse, I remembered that this is why we are called to take care of the poor: to show the love of Christ by sharing in their sufferings and bearing their burdens. We suffer everyday, whether we are at home or in the mission field, and we are so blessed to have a church come along side of us and be the hands of Christ to hold us when we’re weak. So it is that we should be willing to give up our temporary comforts of air-conditioning, healthy food, clean water, and comfortable beds for a blessing and joy that is everlasting. That is what the team went to do in Haiti, and that is what every missionary trip aims to do. This is how they glorify our God—in sharing in His suffering. Paul said, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God; and if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ—provided we are suffering with him in order also to be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16,17).
We should remember this: “If contentment were here, heaven were not heaven”
–Samuel Rutherford, The Loveliness of Christ
Sheryl has been a Safe Harbor Behold Your God team member in both Africa and Haiti, and volunteers as a contributing writer
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