I saw a billboard advertisement for the recently released Mission Impossible movie.  The strange thing is that this one title started my mind wondering.  I thought about how ironic the title is because, although the theme is “mission impossible”, the characters in the movie always seem to be able to make the “impossible”, possible.  Then I changed mental gears and started thinking about the short-term mission trips that I have been on.  There were times in each of these trips that some or all aspects of the mission seemed impossible, yet through God, they became possible.

Most of the people that I know that have been on short-term mission trips usually go through some type of withdrawal after they return home.  I’ve come to the conclusion that this occurs because while we are on these journeys, we are forced to rely completely on God.  That does not happen back home.  Here in the United States, we have abundance.  Even if we are not rolling in money, we usually have much more than those we left behind in some foreign country. 

My point is, when we are in true need, we completely turn to God and accept whatever His will is for our life.  No place is this more apparent than in a foreign country where a short-term missionary may not speak the language of the land and yet that person is being asked to be a light for Christ.  This is where the difference lies between the movie and real life.  In the movie, the mission is “top secret”.  In real life, we are to shine the light of Jesus like a lighthouse.  Consequently, we come away from our mission experience feeling as though God truly did use us in a manner that may have made a difference in the Kingdom of God for a few people.

So, while driving in my truck thinking about the movie advertisement, I was reminded that we don’t have to be on a mission trip in some foreign country to make ourselves completely available for God to use.  We just need to get the right mind set.  First we need to focus on the things above.  Then we need to look at our hometowns, work places, and the different social activities we participate in as our mission field.  I know this is not a new concept for most of you, but how many of you have truly dropped to your knees and asked God to show you the way to reach people…like you would do if you were in a foreign land?  If Tom Cruz can make an impossible mission, possible…why can’t we?