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The Do-Nothing Missionary
Everyone once in a while I’ll schedule a do-nothing day. I’ll
literally walk over to the calendar—the one I’m usually too busy to update—and
write, nay, DECREE a do-nothing day. Once
it’s written, that date is as immovable as my lazy bum on a do-nothing day.
All the energy typically be spent running frantic from one
obligation to another is spent simply being.
The “look good, feel good, be right, and be in control” mask comes off. And for
an entire and glorious day, I can rock my Zuul the Gatekeeper hair and hobo-esque attire and be authentic.
That’s where my mission field is. In that sweet spot of
being relaxed, authentic, and, sadly, still frizzy haired—even on a do-something day. I get rid of that all-too-familiar
anticipation. The kind that waits for the moment to interject some eternal
truth when a friend just wants to talk about the best black and tan she’s ever
had.
It’s not that I go around being as fake as the weight on my
driver’s license. It’s just, I don’t want to be a loner, Dottie. No one does,
for that matter.
We’ve each, to some degree, developed the socially
acceptable self (the one that talks about the weather and how work is going and
how the kids are doing) and hidden the real self (the one that says gray days
make them sad and work is fleeting compared to your passion and the kids are
slipping away because you’re never there).
Strutting our socially acceptable selves seems especially
common among believers, where we feel the pressure to make disciples of all
nations, and teach them the ways, and have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts.
But you know what I discovered?
In my effort to make disciples of my nonbelieving friends, I
identified them as nonbelieving rather than simply my friend.
In my effort to teach them the ways, I told them the ways
and disagreed with theirs.
In my effort to have that joy, joy, joy in my heart, I hidden
the sad, sad, sadness that sometimes creeps in.
I was douchey. And completely unrelatable. (‘Cause, really. Who
wants to relate to a douche?)
So on my calendar, and in my heart, I’ve decreed a do-nothing
day mentality all day every day. Because
when I see my friends as separate from their beliefs, they feel accepted. When
I stop trying to convince people of my beliefs, they feel at ease. (Quite
contrary to my get-paid-to-do-this mission of apologetics,
by the way.) And when I share my sufferings with others, they feel safe to do
the same.
.... ..... ....Want more? You can follow Sandra's musings on the Twitter machine. Trust me, you'll love her!
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When was your last "Do Nothing Day"?
Ever considered adopting a "do nothing" attitude toward discipleship and evangelism?
*On a side note* If I wasn't so chicken-shit, I would totally do something amazing with my hair. Maybe on my next (first?) do-nothing day, I'll man up and go crazy. 