When I boarded the plane to embark upon my journey to Korea, the words “Consume me for your fire and use me for your hearts desire, to spread your word to every tribe and nation” resounded in my head. My heart was full and eager. I was ready to soar wherever the Lord wanted to take me. I’ve heard countless stories from friends and family who have been on mission and I guess I expected to feel as though He was using me right away.
I had expectations of how I thought the Lord was going to use me here. I thought I knew where He wanted me and who He wanted me to spend my time serving. I’ve always had a passion for serving and my heart to work with victim’s of human and sex trafficking has continued to grow over the years. Sex trafficking is a growing problem around the world and is especially prevalent in Asian countries; I was certain that is where the Lord wanted to use me. I was anxious to get plugged in and sent e-mail after e-mail inquiring about how to get involved, and with each dead end, I felt more and more defeated.
Unable to speak Korean, I can’t exactly roam the streets sharing the gospel with people. It’s been quite challenging and honestly, I’ve been feeling as though I have wasted so much time already. I have been completely confused and searching for purpose, but the Lord has helped me realize I am not entitled to understanding how He will use me or what He will do while I am here.
This past Sunday we continued reading the book of 2 Kings and as we read, the Lord reminded me of the phrase, “With high expectations comes great disappointment.” Just as I had expectations of how the Lord would use me, Naaman had expectations of how he would be healed of his leprosy. Elisha sent a messenger who told Naaman to “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” Naaman’s response to the message was anger and frustration and he said, “Indeed, I said to myself, He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and heal the leprosy.”
You see, Naaman had an idea of what he thought was going to happen when he went to see Elisha. His expectations were high and when they weren’t met, he became angry. Naaman wanted some big grand gesture to show that he was indeed healed. What Elisha’s messenger told him to do was not the big grand gesture Naaman had expected so he was disappointed. In verse 13, Naaman’s servants say to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then when he says to you, wash, and be clean?” Translation – “What he is asking you to do is so simple, why are you making things so complicated.”
I have been expecting the big and grand gesture. I’ve expected the Lord would use me in huge ways and I’ve expected to be able to see how He is moving. As I read these words it was as if the Lord was tapping on my shoulder saying, “Hey Brandy (tap, tap, tap), did you hear that?”
We are never promised to know what God will do. We are never promised to be able to see the results of the work He is doing, we are simply asked to serve. I may not work with a single victim of human trafficking while I’m here, I may never get to witness the effects of the seeds I plant but if the only thing I do while I am in Korea is love on others and speak truth into their lives, the Lord is absolutely still using me to do His work.
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Though you have no tangible evidence you may still be helping stop sex trafficking indirectly through ways none of us can imagine. All while learning and growing at the same time, keep up the awesome work!! 🙂