Ok folks, it’s been a while but I’m going to try to start writing a bit. There have just been so many thoughts on my mind in the past three or four months and I feel like I need to get them down somehow. Maybe these words will provide the occasional encouragement to the infrequent on-looker… If any of you know me you probably know that I am planning on going overseas in the future and recently I’ve heard a bit of information that concerns me. My denomination’s sending agency has a particular program for singles to go overseas for an average of two years. I won’t say the name of this program but recently I was told that for every seven females who commit to this program there is only one male who commits to serve…
That’s pretty disgusting…
First of all, props to all you ladies out there who are risking your lives and forsaking the overabundance of luxury here in the states to serve Him overseas. And also to you guys who made the decision to go, I pray that you might encourage others to come alongside you. I could spend the majority of my time hounding other guys about their lack of courage or apathy in pursuing God with reckless abandon, but I just don’t think that would be efficient. I also don’t think I am in any position to criticize others when I’m presently sitting in the comfort of my own home with a full stomach from today’s gluttonous thanksgiving festivities. But while I’m here I want to explore a couple of reasons that men might be staying in order to open their eyes to the fruit that can come from making the commitment to go. Most of these reasons for staying or obstacles ultimately prove to be an incredible hindrance to one’s quest on the road to sanctification. For the sake of this particular blog-posting I’m not going to treat each of these obstacles exhaustively for I hope to explore them in further detail later.
I think one of the primary reasons that men stay is in part due to their natural tendency to desire worldly success. When the opportunity to go overseas comes up they choose not to go because they feel as though they won’t have a successful life upon returning to the states if they ever do. So many men have this engrained in their heads, and it’s a vision that screams to make their voice heard. In the business world men cling to the hope of climbing the rungs of the corporate ladder faster than the one beside him. I’ll put this obstacle in the category of those who actually have skewed vision. From an outsider’s point of view it may appear that a particular business man has a great vision for the future but I submit that these men really don’t have an end product in mind. More later…
Secondly, I think many men are just apathetic when it comes to planning for the future. Many would rather sit and go through the motions of life until a blatantly obvious opportunity comes their way. Passivity in men is rampant and the only time that a proactive lifestyle is seen is when it is the result of an unforeseen circumstance that necessitates action. The hindrance is that men wait for opportunities to act upon them instead of acting with the discernment and vision that God has given us. More also on this…
Third and lastly…for the moment…many men, especially those in their early to mid-twenties refuse to go overseas because they think they should be married before going. Marriage is a good thing and the bible makes it obvious that God likes it. The problem however is that men have this often-subconscious desire to get married before they begin doing their ‘real’ career. They’re afraid that if they serve overseas for any length of time, upon returning there simply won’t be any more prospects for marriage left, and therefore their time overseas could have been used for time in pursuing ‘the right one.’ Don’t get me wrong here. I would actually recommend sending families to the field over sending singles. The majority of the remaining unreached people groups are very distinct from our western individualistic ideals, and therefore a family on the field would be ideal. But single male would have many opportunities where a husband or father would have some limitations. I think the main obstacle concerning the singleness issue is a lack of trust in God that manifests in fear and disobedience. Along with that disobedience comes great temptation and desire, and keep in mind, desire that is fully grown gives birth to death…
So, I hope to expound on these three issues and more in the coming weeks. Hopefully we all will be able to humble ourselves a bit and really dig deep as to where we’re being called to serve.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Great thoughts Coleman. Apparently your sending agency is actually doing quite well, as I've read that on a national scale we send about 10 single women out for every 1 single man. Pretty scary, I agree. From my own observation, it seems part of the huge proportion difference exists here too: there seem to be far more women sold out to living for Jesus. That in itself would make an interesting topic for you: other than these reasons that keep men from leaving their country to serve Christ, what keeps many men from complete surrender in general? Do you think it is pride, our culture, or a failure of the church?
I like your thoughts. I think another factor that shouldn't be understated is the pressure on single guys (esp Christian guys) to settle down in a job that can support a family. Even the church itself exerts this pressure, to the extent that missions is often viewed as a suspension of a young man's responsibilities, rather than a part of them. At least in a Christian subculture, that pressure is directly predominantly toward young men, which I've personally experienced as a young man who is "going". I'd like to see the church better articulate the kind of provision a Christ-follower should give his family. I'm also interested to see the effect of a stronger "business-as-missions" push would be on the male:female ratio...if sending agencies made it a higher priority to use an individual's "secular" skills as a platform.
Post a Comment