Although it still doesn't seem real to me, I am officially moved in -- and currently snuggled up in the bed of -- my new apartment in Yinchuan, China. My flights went smoothly, I slept sporadically, I'm pretty sure I had three dinners in one evening (whatever my body currently thinks a single evening is), but praise be, I got here safe and sound. My new boss came and picked me up at the Yinchuan airport, after which he treated me to (third) dinner at 2am. (Now accepting pr@yer requests for my internal clock / body.)
As I wait for the melatonin to kick in, I wanted to write about something I thought of the other day. On Saturday my dad and I went to see the new Star Trek movie. I don't really follow this new series, but something struck me with this one. At the beginning of the film there is a montage of scenes depicting life on the USS Enterprise. Over this montage you can hear Captain Kirk (voiced by Chris Pine, who just has such a nice head of hair, you know?) give a little spiel during a captain's log entry about how, essentially, he is three years into a five year mission, and he's starting to have some doubts.
The more time we spend out here, the harder it is to tell where one day ends and the next one begins. It can be a challenge to feel grounded when even gravity is artificial. But we do what we can to make it feel like home. ... As for me, things have started to feel a little episodic. The farther out we go, the more I find myself wondering what it is we're trying to accomplish. If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?"If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?" How depressing, right? Kinda makes you feel bad for the guy.
The captain's entry made me think about my own mission in Yinchuan. There are a lot of people in China -- far too many for so few of us to reach all of them. Just like Captain Kirk's, our task seems endless. But the difference here is attitude. Captain Kirk is viewing his mission as a job, a quest of obligation. Our G0d-given mission here on earth, however, is one of love. It is not a task, it is not a chore, and it is certainly not hopeless. It is our privilege, our joy, and one of the most important instructions we will ever get, straight from the Big Guy himself: "Therefore go and make discip1es of all nations" (Matt 28).
There's an old magnet on my parents' refrigerator that reads: "G0d put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die..." Is this not an attitude completely opposite of Captain Kirk's? How uplifting is this outlook! What a blessing it is that the Big Guy Upstairs gives us a spirit of productivity and provides lifelong work for us to do -- work that pleases Him, and work that will bring others to Him. This is our joy! Cultivating His fields, as it were. Sure, we do not know how far out these fields go or how long it'll take to reach all of them, but we'll never know how tall any of His plants may grow if we do not tend to them one by one.
It is easy to lose hope and to seemingly float away from your cause when the future is unknown. It is easy to question what you're even trying to accomplish when it seems like your job will never be done. But that's the thing. If we delight in the L0rd, what we do to praise Him will never seem like work. He will never forget us; see, He has written us on the palm of His hand! Our work will never be done, and that is a blessing. And in serving and loving the Father all the days of our lives, we are working towards the ultimate paycheck: one day joining Him in the perfect and eternal home He has prepared for us!
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the L0rd, because you know that your labor in the L0rd is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)
G0d is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrws 6:10)
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living G0d, who is the Savi0r of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:10)
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Mandarin Word of the Day: mission
Chinese characters: 任务 (任 = to appoint, assignment; 务 = a matter, to be sure of)
Pinyin pronunciation: rènwu
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