Your Mission Field Isn’t Too Small

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ” (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV)

Do you ever worry that your mission field is too small? I do. When I get letters from missionary friends, many of whom live abroad as full-time missionaries with their families, that demon named Comparison jabs me and whispers, “Are you really fulfilling the Great Commission? You, in your comfortable life? What are you possibly doing to further the kingdom of God?”

My husband spent his formative years as an MK (missionaries’ kid) in East Africa. Even now, my in-laws are part-time missionaries who spend a portion of each year in the Congo, doing on-the-ground work to alleviate the distress of the people living in the same town where my husband spent his childhood.

Now, I work for a Christian publishing house, so one could argue that in a roundabout way, my Monday-to-Friday working life is all part of the Great Commission. But I do not personally, daily, take the gospel to people who have never heard it before.

Unless you count my children.

And mamas, we must. We must count our children as our foremost mission field.

In Deuteronomy 11, the people are commanded,

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deut. 11: 18-19 NIV)

Jesus himself pointed out the importance of children to the faith. In Matthew 19, when parents brought their children to him, asking if he would lay his hands on them and pray for him, the disciples tried to turn them away. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (v. 14 NIV).

I worry sometimes that I am too surrounded by people who already know Jesus. As Madeleine L’Engle writes in Walking on Water, “If I understand the gospel, it tells us that we are to spread the Good News to all four corners of the world, not limiting the giving of light to people who have already seen the light.” These are tough words for a mama at home. How do I reach the four corners of the world from my house in the middle of America?

Maybe I don’t need to go to all four corners. Maybe I just need to be a light in the corner where I find myself, the corner God clearly prepared for me.

Sally Clarkson writes, in Mom Heart Moments,

We are called to give up our lives, as Jesus gave up his life for us, for the purpose of training, loving, and preparing our children for life–eternal life . . . It is our responsibility to care for our children’s souls, presenting Jesus to them in hopes that they will choose to follow Him.

She goes on to say that mothers must recognize that we are raising the next generation of Christians. The future of the church is being brought up, right this minute, in our homes.

Our mission field may feel small, but it isn’t. It has the weight of eternity wrapped up in it.

Dear Lord, when I feel that my mission field is small, please remind me how great it is in your eyes. Help me to keep you always in my line of vision as I seek to nurture, train, and teach my children about you and about how you have called us to be lights in this world. Forgive me when I make mistakes and help me to humbly begin again each day. Help me, too, to trust you with my children, surrendering all my efforts under the wings of your grace. Amen.

Scriptures for Reflection

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. ” (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV)

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (Isa. 40:11 NIV)

Reach for More

Spend a few minutes today journaling about your children–their likes and dislikes, their gifts and struggles, their passions and challenges. How can you as their mama be a light of Christ to each one of them, recognizing that they were created uniquely by the Great Creator? If you are not currently a mama to young children, how can you be a light of Christ to those around you? How can you pour into the relationships God has placed before you? For what struggling person can you be a source of grace and truth, humbly and gently pointing the way to eternity?

Harmony Harkema has loved the written word for as long as she can remember. A former English teacher turned editor, she has spent the past twelve years in the publishing industry. A writer herself in the fringe hours of her working-and-homeschooling mom life, Harmony has a heart for leading and coaching aspiring writers. She is the owner of The Glorious Table and cohost and producer at The Relatable Homeschoolers podcast. Harmony lives in Memphis with her husband and two daughters. You can find her at HarmonyHarkema.com and on Instagram @harmonyharkema.

Photograph © Tima Miroshnichenko, used with permission