What does living missionally look like day to day? Below Ken shares a story about what it looked like for him recently as he sat in a doctor’s office.
This week I had to make my bi-annual trip to the doctor’s office to have blood work done. The same woman draws my blood every time I go. She is a very quiet and reserved woman who I believe is a Muslim because of the head covering she wears. I typically engage her in conversation, but she rarely says much. This week when I went in, I asked her about her family. She told me about her two children, and then she asked me if I had heard about what happened in New Zealand. I was startled by how quickly she changed the subject, but I recognized that this event had touched her deeply. She then asked me if I had seen what the shooter had posted on Facebook about it. I said I had, and I responded with my deep sadness that it had happened. I was a bit taken aback that she was talking to me about this. I wanted to show compassion and empathy. I wanted to express my solidarity with her. I wanted to love her like Jesus loves her. It didn’t take long for me to fill four tubes with blood, and I was soon on my way again. As I left, I wondered what I could have done better to represent the love of Christ in that moment. How would Jesus have shown up and what would Jesus have done?
I believe that living missionally is a way of life. I believe that living missionally includes small everyday things. Simple things like looking someone in the eye or calling someone by name. Seeing every person as a human being who has been created by God and who is deeply loved by God is missional. I believe that Faithwalking helps me learn to love like Jesus loved.
