Stress and Missions

I am compelled to share about a major insight about stress that I’ve been given this week through the deep-felt experience of a God-loving church that takes missions and the call to serve others in need very very seriously.  What could mission work possibly have to do with stress?  Let me explain. 

This God-loving church sends people (mostly young people) to a place in Mexico (just over the border) that is in severe poverty.  Some people go for short-term mission work and others stay longer (one very special young man in particular has decided to stay for an extended time the needs are so great).  For the past week, those that went for one week only have been writing blogs about their experience there.  I have been reading them and feel as if I have been there with them.  They have been doing back-breaking work, making cement (and ALL that goes with that like getting the ground ready, carrying the cement over fields in wheel barrows -- really hard work in hot hot sun) for a laundry facility so that the Mexican people there don’t have to continue washing their clothes by hand.

Almost everyone who goes on these short mission trips can’t wait to go back, and it’s because of a combination of things.  Firstly, the people are amazing and they love working with the Mexican kids from the orphanage.  Secondly, the impoverished culture lacks many of the “must-have conveniences” of our Canadian culture, so this encourages people to connect face-to-face rather than through network wires and cell phones.  Unlike our busy culture here, they have time and take time for each other.  But what I noticed is that even though they were lacking many of the conveniences and they were doing very hard physical work, they found a new depth of friendship, love and fellowship that would be difficult to find back here at home.  Spiritual growth comes out of deep need, and also being able to fulfill the most practical needs for someone else.  And Scripture makes it very clear that Jesus identified the most with those in the greatest need.  So this is where His heart is and when we minister to those in need, this is where we’ll experience His presence in deeper ways that are rich, profoundly meaningful and also life-changing. 

None of the people writing the blogs mentioned the word “stress.”  Stress is more of a word used in our North American or western culture vocabulary.  I wonder how much of our stress has to do with our over-involvement with the things of this world.  We get entangled in it and can’t find our way out and so we panic and we are stressed over things that really don’t matter after all.  Not all of us will go on mission trips to Mexico, Africa or other countries where people are in dire need.  But we can support our missionaries in prayer and with financial gifts.  And we can go next door to our neighbour and offer a kind and encouraging word, or offer to help them in some practical way (which is really what Jesus is saying to us – feed them first and then offer them the Gospel message!).  Whenever I have done the smallest kindness, like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, my heart feels like it’s expanding.  As I attempt to show God’s love, God immediately reveals Himself to me in a real and tangible way and I feel His joy and His presence.  It is so true that whatever you give, you will receive back in multiple ways.  But the real joy is in the giving itself and seeing how someone’s face lights up.  That’s a God connection.  I think that when we do God’s work, not only do we get a spiritual boost, but also a physical and emotional one.  Is it plausible that when we give, endorphins are released in our body which promotes healing and overall well-being? Perhaps we’d live longer.  Interesting thought.

I wonder if today we make up our mind to do some crazy kind deed for someone, totally unexpected, if our stress level goes down.  What would happen if we listened to that still small voice?  What would He say and what would He have us do today?  Let’s try it and see what happens, then write a comment and encourage someone else by our amazing experience.