Classic Kate and Court

Classic Christian Girl

The classic Christian girl drinks coffee while she reads her Bible. She listens to Hillsong and has taught VBS, Sunday School, and/or helped in the nursery at least at one point in her life. The classic Christian girl dreams of traveling overseas to work with orphans and share the good news of Jesus with plenty of hugs and kisses.

I fit every single one of these descriptions. And yet, I don't want this to be routine. It's so easy to go through the motions of what a "good girl" does, the "next steps" per say, of following Jesus. But this isn't on some check list that I need to cross off to be holier, more perfect, or better to stand before the Lord. Because it can't be.

Why am I going then? When you have had your life radically rocked by what the Gospel truly means personally, you can't help but share. It's in your very nature to include Jesus in normal conversation, to want others to experience what freedom from sin and the law means, to know Christ and the power of His salvation. But you know, sometimes my other nature -- the old nature -- gets in the way and I don't want to be a witness.

That's where Jesus comes in, because it's not about me trying to be a good witness. The Gospel -- the Good news of Jesus Christ -- proclaims that all the trying, the effort, the striving was done at the cross. And Jesus said "tetelestai", it is finished. I struggle daily with my sinful nature, but I know that I have the victory because of Christ's victory over sin and death when He rose again.

That's why I'm going. I have had my life radically changed by the Lord. I was a good girl all my life so my testimony was subpar (so I thought) compared to others who turned from a blatant life of sin, but in the past few years Christ has really gotten ahold of my heart. He has shown me that I'm just as dirty and sinful in His sight as any other human being to ever have lived. He has revealed to me that all my efforts, no matter how good, are going to fail His standards. And He has gloriously uncovered what His life, death, and resurrection mean to me. The Gospel is good news! It wasn't until the Lord began to reveal this to me that I could even grasp why people would want to tell others about Him. It wasn't out of duty or command, but suddenly it became a natural response to my love for Him. 

Does this mean that since you live in America in your comfortable middle class lifestyle that you somehow don't love Jesus as much as me? No, absolutely not. I have learned more this semester in being able to share at my job that the mission field is wherever there are unbelievers -- which makes the mission field a lot bigger than Africa, Brazil, or East Asia. That includes Fargo, Minneapolis, or wherever you find yourself today. 

So I'm going to Uganda. I'm going because God has shown me such great love in saving me from sin and saving me to Himself. I'm going because God loves the broken hearted, the downtrodden, the outcast. I'm going because He first loved me. 

We leave one week from today!

Kate