“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.”
Matthew 28:19
Have you ever wondered how to live out the Great Commission when daily life calls? When homes need cleaning and babies need holding? Maybe the calling in Matthew 28:19 just seems foreign to your life right now.
I totally hear you.
I’ve always been a “goer” and a “doer” kind of person. For example, I will hear a message or a sermon at church and before I’m even in the car to come home, I’m writing notes on what I can do, how I can change, or how to apply what I’ve heard.
With that tendency, the Great Commission became my life verse throughout my high school, college, and early twenties years… Go, Go, Go!… I would always be considering how I could go more… What foreign mission trips were available for me to sign up for?, What local mission opportunities could I get involved with?, How many Bible Studies could I pack into my schedule?, Was I serving enough at Church?… etc.
These were not wrong thoughts by any means, but practical, daily ways to “go” were never a consideration for me. In my mind, “going” meant far away and hundreds of people. I didn’t consider how I could go here, right where I was. I didn’t consider how God could use me to impact maybe just one person.
What I’ve learned since my early twenties has drastically changed my life forever.
In short, let’s just call it reorientation. God has completely reoriented my perspective ongoing and making disciples. It has been a heart reorientation, thought reorientation, and ultimately a life reorientation for me.
You see, the mission God has called us to is not (or doesn’t have to be) a huge mission trip across the world. A life on mission for him, living out the Great Commission means intentionally allowing him to use you (all of you) for him each and every day. It’s intentionally making decisions in your life that honor him.
This energy that I had in my college years of “going” can still be applied to my life as a wife and mom today.
Practically, for you and for me, here are some ways we can live this out:
– Inviting our neighbor over to get to know them on a deeper/spiritual level
– Praying over our waiter at dinner
– Reorganizing our schedule so that time is given to the things that matter over the things that don’t… When you look at your calendar schedule, where are you spending your time, money, energy? How could you reorganize to give of these things toward what God is calling you?
– Serving in church to help those who are different from us or more vulnerable in some way
– Giving sacrificially of our finances even when we don’t want to
– Opening our home to someone who may be vulnerable (widow, hurting child, someone who needs shepherding) for the purpose of pouring into their life and pointing them toward Christ
– Using our talents (simply what you’re good at) to impact others and point them toward Christ
– Taking the time to sit down with our children and teach them about God
– Encouraging our husbands in their work and praying over them
These things are extremely difficult and tedious. When we’re mentally and physically spent, these actions go against our fleshly desires. They are seemingly small things, but they take much trust and dependence on God for strength. It’s in these ways that we can GO and make disciples, and we can BE on mission for the Lord in our daily choices, words, and actions.
It’s an exciting and adventurous life that He’s called us to, and it can happen anywhere we are because He is there.
So GO as a Wife, GO as a Mother, GO as a neighbor, GO as a friend, GO as a servant, GO as a teacher… whatever your role—GO right where you are.
Connect with Kaitlyn:
https://www.abeautifulbelonging.com
www.instagram.com/kaitlyn_fiedler
www.facebook.com/abeautifulbelonging
www.twitter.com/kaitlynfiedler
www.pinterest.com/kaitlyn_fiedler
About Kaitlyn:
Kaitlyn Fiedler lives near Greenville, SC with her husband and son. She is currently pursuing her MA in Christian Ministries from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. You can most likely find her studying or writing at a local coffee shop or spending time outside with her family. She writes regularly for women on her blog: abeautifulbelonging.com. You can also find her on Instagram @kaitlyn_fiedler.
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