For Those Who Care

Jesus called us to make disciples. And making a disciple comes with a price.

It costs you your time, energy, and money. It calls for patience, wisdom and endurance. It’s a long-term commitment.

Now you may wonder: Am I really prepared for this? Is it possible for me to give more time, energy, and money? Am I patient enough, wise enough, and committed enough?

As to time, energy and money, the answer is pretty simple: You already have enough. Jesus didn’t have more. Weed out those projects and activities that you have given undue importance to. You may want to reevaluate your priorities. That should be possible.

Or, it should be possible for those who really care.

As to patience, endurance, wisdom and commitment, these are a little harder to learn and to improve. Yet, there is no use waiting for it to happen.

You learn these things by doing something that requires practicing those very qualities. Try to find a challenging task. Make a decision and then stick to it, no matter how strong the resistance and no matter how often you fail. You can improve along the way.

Probably, most of us already have one or a few areas where we can get that kind of training. There may be an education that needs to be finished, a project to be completed, a language to be learnt, a book to be written, a house to be renovated…

And why not, a disciple to be made?

So, you can start with your mission right away. Start making a disciple, and then improve along the way.

There is always one first little step you can take, little enough to match your faith and your resources. You can take that step and stick to it. From there, you will know what to do next.

Isn’t this exactly what young parents do? None of us fathers and mothers are really prepared for raising children the day we bring home our first baby. That day we get a kick-start. From there we go on, day by day and night by night and learn patience, endurance, wisdom and improve our commitment along the way.

It’s not always easy to be a parent, and for some of us it’s a real struggle. However, it works out somehow, against all odds, and in spite of all the mistakes we make.

This is what making a disciple is very much alike. It’s costly and it isn’t always easy, yet…

It’s possible for those who really care.