Cell and Missionaries.

Missionary: A member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. ~ wikipedia

Tonight at cell we talked about missionaries. It's a scary word because of the "we know what's best for you" attitude that has made Christians notorious over the centuries.

I remember when I got my acceptance letter for Mission Year I showed it to my dad. His response was "you're going to be a missionary!" I quickly told him that I in no way wanted to be associated with the word. The word missionary is frightening to me because it brings up images of going to "God-forsaken" places and "enlightening" people as to the wonders and superiority of western culture with little to no regard for the culture that's been lived out for who knows how long.

Being a missionary shouldn't be something noteworthy that only certain Christians are called to. It's a way of life that comes with following Jesus. The inside-the-box thinking of what a missionary is needs to stop. Spreading the love of Jesus is a day-to-day, week-to-week, year-to-year, life-life, beginning-to-end thing. The word "missionary" shouldn't need to exist. It only exists because we fail to live out Jesus' call on our lives everyday.

Don't tell someone why they need to be like you. Show someone you care about them. That's what Jesus did. And we're supposed to be like him.