Christian Charades

Posted in By Brett T Kelley 1 comments

How many of you have been on a short-term mission trip? What was your attitude and behavior like on the trip? Was it any different than you normally are? These questions occurred to me as the Pastor spoke about a missionary our church supports. I thought what it would be like to go to El Salvador and work with her. How I live my life and how I am perceived by others will change, and not simply because I am an American living in another country. After seeing I am not a tourist or businessmen, people might start to ask why I am there and if they ask me, I could explain. These opportunities would present themselves almost easily. (Though I do realize I am oversimplifying it)

Now, I contrast that with the life I live here in the US. My focus is on work (very busy this time of year) and whatever I put into my free time, whether Xbox, reading, church activities, family, or sleeping (not necessarily in that order). There's that difference, but more importantly, when I walk down the street or when I walk through Walmart getting groceries, there is not a single thing about me to make people want to ask me questions about who I am and what I do.

Often quoted is, "Preach the Gospel to all the world, and if necessary, use words." by Francis of Assisi. What do you think of the quote? Is this all that is necessary?