"You Look Like a Missionary"

This morning my wife took the kids to school. We take turns (okay, she takes more turns than I do, but I digress). Since it is usually before we have to get ready for the day ourselves, we don’t tend to dress up for the occasion. Sweats, t-shirt, baseball cap, that sort of attire. This morning as she came out to the kitchen, she was wearing a pair of socks that were clearly a size too small. I looked at her and said, “You look like a missionary”. 

This is not a compliment. 

She laughed, looked at me, and said, “So do you”. 

What does a missionary look like? It used to be that missionaries were not the most fashionable members of society. Churches would take up collections from people of their old, cast-off clothes, and send them in care packages. Consequently, many missionaries were “gifted” with threadbare shirts and faded dresses. I heard a story once of a missionary who captivated the people of the village he was serving in by putting in and taking out his contact lenses. I remember being amazed. A missionary with contact lenses? Is that Christian? 

You don’t need to be a fashionista when you’re in the middle of the Kalahari. Right?

Things are changing. The world is a different place. Missionaries are no longer relegated to the clothes that are in such bad shape that Goodwill won’t even take them. And yet in some ways, things aren’t all that different after all. We’re headed to an area of the world where there aren’t many churches, and really no facilities for churches. No paid staff, no stained glass windows. No sound system. We’re getting rid of a lot of stuff to prepare for going. Yeah, even some of our clothes. Because it’s not about sacrifice. It’s about willingness to share with others the great news of what God has done for you. It’s not about facilities and clothes. It’s about serving people who are hungry for the hope that you bring them. 

And just like before, we will need people to partner with us, both in prayer and in finances. Because it’s not just our work or our mission. It’s God’s work and God’s mission. By partnering with us, we will be working together in the mission of God to the unreached peoples of the world, sharing with them the love of God. 

What does a missionary look like?