Unicorns and Rainbows
Can I be honest with you? So many times, it’s tempting to try to paint a picture that makes it look like things here are all rainbows and unicorns. The truth of the matter is that things are not like that at all. Frustration and cynicism have reared their ugly head, even though my greatest desire is to not let them creep into my mind.
The reason that they have worked their way in is because:
- The need is so great here
- If people would just follow proven methods, things would be better
- Despite these first two, people don’t want to change.
I honestly feel like I am often banging my head against the wall. I can somewhat feel for Isaiah’s ministry. During his commission, God predicted that Isaiah’s ministry would be fruitless; he would exhort people to turn from their sins, but not a single person would repent.
Some reasons for my feeling this way include:
- Growing an awesome maize crop on my demonstration plot and showing my neighbor how to do the same thing, only to find her planting using traditional farming methods (the implementation rate of Farming God’s Way in Africa is 5% of those taught the methods)
- Teaching a class on integrity and ethics and having students cheat on an exam question about honesty
- Teaching an entrepreneurship class to a group of 14-16 year olds that may not pass the exam to get into secondary school, which means that they will support themselves on the profits of their business, only to have a couple of them sleep in class
- Doing evangelism, having people accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and never showing up at church.
It’s hard because of the need. It’s hard because of the troubles. It’s hard because if they would just do what I’m teaching them, they could have a better life. If they would just listen…
How am I any different though?
I had someone remind me that even though God lays out a pattern for our life, and if we would just follow that pattern, it would be better for us. We know this, and yet we still stray off the narrow path God laid out for us. We veer off into sinful patterns and then we have to pay the consequences for our decisions and hopefully find our way back to the path. Why do I get frustrated and cynical when the people I’m working with here do the exact same thing?
Didn’t Jesus face the same thing that has frustrated me? He fed thousands, healed hundreds, brought people back from the dead, and yet in the end only had a handful of people that actually followed Him. Was Jesus’s mission on earth a failure? Hardly!
The question I have to face is, was I called to results, or was I called to action. I think that is the difference. So many people expect results. How many people got saved? How many people are farming using the methods you are teaching? Etc. The thing that I have to remember is that I wasn’t called to numbers or results. I was called to simply obey, even if there are no results that I can see. We have no idea the impact that we can have on people’s lives. We can plant seeds in them that someone else can come along and water, and then God can give the increase.
1 Cor 3:6-9, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plans and he who waters are one, and each will receive the wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.”
One of my mentors here, Chris Sperling, wrote a great blog post about this exact thing. You can check it our here: http://sperlingsinafrica.blogspot.ca/
It may not be all unicorns and rainbows, but by remembering our call to the mission field, I’m hoping to close the door on frustrations and cynicism before they attempt to defeat our ministry. At the end of the day, these are just attacks by the enemy, so I need to recognize them for what they are. There are success stories. There are people that I shared the Good News with that got baptized, come to church, and are getting discipled. There are students that don’t cheat on exams. There are people that are excited about Farming God’s Way. There are young men that are working hard to create a successful business. God is giving the increase. God is good!
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