Walking through the student center earlier this month I spotted a flyer hanging on the bulletin board. It was advertising a Service and Learning Trip to South Africa next summer. Each summer a group of Covenant Students travel across the world to learn about how the church is operating on a global scale, to help teach some of the leaders in those areas, to do service work, and to reach out to the community. Last summer one of my roommates went to China for a month and still talks about how beneficial of a trip that was. When I first saw the poster two things happened: Strong Desire and Swift Disappointment
I had a strong initial desire to go! I started listing all sorts of reasons, "I've never been to Africa! I'd LOVE to see the US play in the World Cup while in South Africa! I could see monkeys and jungles and stuff!" When I caught myself and saw what I was doing I felt convicted that I was only listing selfish reasons for desiring to go.
Their web page has this great vision statement: "God has blessed South Africa, and Africa, with the 2010 soccer event and the time has now come for the whole Body of Christ on the continent to unite and rally together to capitalize on the opportunity that 2010 presents for us as believers to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to millions."
When I realized that I had bad reasons for wanting to go I immediately dismissed the possibility of me going at all. "Because I have bad reasons, I can't go!" Later, as the trip lingered on my mind God showed me how I was still captive to the negative thinking pattern that I have had. The day that we have pure reasons for doing anything will be the day we walk with Christ in paradise, completely free from sin! Until then, we are a mixed bag and will always have mixed motives. I can repent of my bad motivations and fight alongside God to put them to death with me so that I can focus on the good ones. I could even see how God was redeeming my desires as well - that it is not inherently evil to desire to see Africa or be a part of the World Cup experience.
None of this means that I will go. It's expensive and not only is going meaning that I'm spending money, but it also means that I'm not making money. It may also overlap with some summer classes I want to take. However, the great part was not in deciding to go, but realizing that I had the freedom in Christ to making going an option!
Their web page has this great vision statement: "God has blessed South Africa, and Africa, with the 2010 soccer event and the time has now come for the whole Body of Christ on the continent to unite and rally together to capitalize on the opportunity that 2010 presents for us as believers to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to millions."
When I realized that I had bad reasons for wanting to go I immediately dismissed the possibility of me going at all. "Because I have bad reasons, I can't go!" Later, as the trip lingered on my mind God showed me how I was still captive to the negative thinking pattern that I have had. The day that we have pure reasons for doing anything will be the day we walk with Christ in paradise, completely free from sin! Until then, we are a mixed bag and will always have mixed motives. I can repent of my bad motivations and fight alongside God to put them to death with me so that I can focus on the good ones. I could even see how God was redeeming my desires as well - that it is not inherently evil to desire to see Africa or be a part of the World Cup experience.
None of this means that I will go. It's expensive and not only is going meaning that I'm spending money, but it also means that I'm not making money. It may also overlap with some summer classes I want to take. However, the great part was not in deciding to go, but realizing that I had the freedom in Christ to making going an option!