Didn’t the Apostle Paul say, “All things work for good…”?
This week has been difficult for a couple of new missionary families seeking to discover their financial support. Both couples have been challenged to evaluate their motives by family members who do not trust their reasons for leaving the U.S. Others are struggling with the slowness of the process and the challenge to maintain the pace of phone calls and appointments in the face of rejection. They are tempted to throw in the towel.
I am convinced that support raising is an important character-forming tool in the missionary process. The combination of hard work, ambiguity, success and rejection is more than faith stretching. It is an important tool for maturity and growth. After experiencing the reality of long-term missionary life, I can confess that our characters needed a lot of molding (and still do).
God is committed to conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ. Simply put, He is determined to making us better people. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:28, 29a)
So, why is God allowing the support-raising process to be long, slow, difficult and frustrating? Simply put, He is conforming you to the image of His Son. He is fulfilling His commitment to take away all that does not reflect Christ and is building up those character attributes that bring Him glory! He is preparing you for a lifetime of incarnational ministry, being like Christ wherever He leads.
By: Tim Hagler, Support Coach previously served in Honduras