March 02nd, 2016

Do you ever feel like your work is effortless? There is always a learning curve when you’re trying something new, but after a certain point everything aligns in such a way that you feel a skill comes naturally. Something you practiced again and again, all of a sudden, comes easily. You are more adept than you thought you would be—and such a natural! Today I shared a Bible story with a lady hungry to hear about Jesus. She asked questions, engaged the text, and concluded by saying that we must believe in Jesus because He knows the truth. Wow. I felt the Holy Spirit working through me, and it was awesome as a Bible teacher. It just flowed naturally. Man, ministry is cool! I felt like a natural!

Yesterday I went to a local business to meet some of my husband’s ministry contacts. The ladies behind the counter held some conversation about dating in their culture the drama that often ensues. I wanted to chat with them, to bring up Jesus to them!  But I’m from the WASP (white, affluent, suburban, Protestant) Midwest where my friends and I had little overlap in cultural experience with these women. How could I engage these Bronxites in conversation? I tried to smile and make small talk every now and again, but found the comments coming out of my mouth sounded more like a homeschool mom than anything they were saying. Jiminy Cricket, would I like to be able to talk with them! I’d love to feel more natural. You know, sometimes missions is natural. But sometimes the plant has to sit for a while in the garden before the roots get deep enough to be accepted there. It’s missions, folks.

Laurie Salem in NYC