Where is your mission field?

When I pictured my last quarter as an undergrad at OU, I never imagined it would look like this. As an underclassman dreaming about my senior year, I thought I would be able to take it easy for a change. I thought it would be one big party in The Front Room or Donkey everyday, and we would be able to enjoy our last weeks together by being inseparable. I thought my classes would be easy...because seniors only take classes like bowling and horseback riding, right? Wrong. For most education majors, spring quarter of senior year equals student teaching. I can honestly say this has been one of the most challenging experiences I have had in college, but also one of the most rewarding.

I come home from high school on the verge of collapsing every day. While it's true that some days my students make me crazy, most of my exhaustion comes from a personal choice. Now, I know it's crazy to think that someone would wear himself/herself down on purpose, but let me explain. I dedicate my energy to making the most of this experience, and I am so invested in these high school students that I barely have anything left at the end of the day. Why would I do that? Why not just do enough to get by? After all, student teaching is pass/fail.

I choose to give everything I have to these students because I view the high school as my mission field. I think it's interesting that people make a distinction between Christians and evangelical Christians or missionaries and non-missionaries. As Christians, we have all been given the command to go:

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
[Matthew 28:18-20]

Therefore we are all missionaries. Whether we are involved in vocational ministry or live out our faith in the workplace, we are called to dedicate our lives to serving Christ. This will obviously look different for different people. Isn't is cool that God gives us specific gifts and passions so that we can serve him in a unique way?

So how will you dedicate your life to serving Christ? Will you go overseas spreading the gospel to unreached people groups? Will you join alongside college students doing ministry in the US? Will you rock the business world by living radically for Christ rather than being driven by success?

Christ has called me to serve him by reaching out to high school students. My mission field may not look like yours, but that's what's so great about it. Think about how many people might not be reached if we were all focusing on the same demographic. I can serve Christ in the public school system because I know that others are serving him in France. Maybe your passion isn't to work with adolescents. Maybe you want to do medical missions. We have the freedom to serve Christ in the way He has made us. What a beautiful thing it is to have such diversity in such a unified body!

My mission field is a high school classroom. Where is your mission field?