Where's Your "Go?"

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20

In case you didn't know, it was missions that brought me into medicine instead of into a career stuck in a laboratory pipetting microbial DNA and smelling agar for the rest of my life. It was missions that made me realize how much of a need abroad there is for physical healing and how such a medium can be a powerful adjunct to spiritual healing as well. And if it is God's will, medicine will lead me back to the mission field.

God has a funny way of getting us back on track sometimes. Recently, my Bible study partner was feeling a bit rebellious and not wanting to complete her lessons one morning. She decided instead to turn on the TV for a few minutes. When she flipped on the TV who was on TV but none other than the author of the study we've been doing? Likewise, I was in that same mood, and the other day who was that day's Bible study about? Abraham. The father of all nations. The one who garners the title of "most verses" in the "faith hall of fame" Hebrews 11. I had been balking at the thought of having to one day leave my family behind and move to a strange land. Yet God told Abraham, "Get thee out of thy country" and he went, leaving behind family, friends, his country, and setting off on a journey, destination unknown. He stepped out in faith, and God rewarded him. Yes, God has a funny way of setting us back on the right path.

The Greek word for faith, pisteuo, is a present active participle. In other words, it's ongoing. I think one of the biggest lies Satan sells Christians is the idea that we can be merely "good examples." While living a life that models Christ is important, the last words of Christ were not, "Be good examples unto all your neighbors." He told them to "go unto all the world." When Saul became Paul, he didn't just return to his hometown and chat with his Jewish colleagues about what had just happened. He didn't just merely live a good example. He went unto all the world.
It's a "go" of stepping out of your comfort zone, of practicing that present active participle faith. It's a "go" of not knowing what the world entails but knowing that a world exists in which to "go." It's not a "go" that says "go when there are no creepy crawlies in your room at night" or "go where it's ok to eat, drink, and not suffer the consequences." Nor is it a "go where you'll always feel comfortable with those whom you associate" or a "go where your family/spouse/friend think it would be a good idea." Nevertheless, we all have a "go," a place where we must actively tell others about the incredible message of a someone so compassionate, so loving, so merciful that He would sacrifice his own well-being for the least of humanity.
And with a "go" I've learned that there is also a "wait." A preacher once told me that "though the harvest may be ripe, you can't gather it with a dull sickle." Likewise, a famous Christian women's author once stated, "Time is where He tempers and tests us so that premature births of ministries don't result in lifelong handicaps." One of the hardest things for me upon entering medical school was learning that this is a time of waiting, a time of preparation. Yet even Christ himself had to wait. Thirty years for three years of ministry. We have to trust in God's timing and realize that those times of "waiting" are preparing us to "go."
Maybe my "go" is in Guatemala, South America, or somewhere I have yet to consider. Maybe your "go" is the inner-city of Chicago, a battered women's home, or the Hispanic neighborhood in your community. Wherever it may be, remember that we are called to be more than just "good examples." Our faith is active and our message is one of priceless hope.