We're Not Meant to Feel Guilty - Part 6

The first time I came back from Guatemala, I felt guilty. I felt guilty for all the things I owned and the money I had. I felt guilty for growing up in a nice Christian home where I never had to face "real" problems, like the Guatemalan people. It's easy to fall into this trap after a short-term missions trip. A lot of people stand up in front of their church, telling about their trip, and are brought to tears because they remember how little material possessions people have abroad.

Now, it's not a bad thing to have this reality check. It's not bad to realize how grateful we should be. But if you come back from a missions trip, and that's all you get out of it, I think you're missing the big picture. A missions trip isn't supposed to just leave you feeling guilty. Many lessons can be learned from missions trips, but this definitely shouldn't be the only one. God has put each of us in a place for a reason. I know I'm not deserving of being born into the United States. I know I'm not deserving of all the material items I own. However, God has blessed me with those things.

Sulking in your guilt doesn't change you or change others. The point of missions is not to see how poor other people are, but instead it is to share Christ's love with others. We cannot save someone from poverty always, but we can try to direct them to Jesus. This relates to a prior post of mine, where I talked about poverty. Again, when you have a relationship with Christ, you are rich.

If we come back from our trip feeling guilty because of the grips of poverty in other places, we are underestimating the riches of Christ. If these people have Christ, they have it all. Why can we be brought to tears about the lack of material items, but not be brought to tears about the lack of Christ? Instead of feeling sad that people are poor all over the world, we should feel more sorrow and grief because people don't know of Jesus.

It's difficult to see poverty. It's difficult to go back home to your wealth. But God had you put in your place for a reason, whatever it may be. Material riches shouldn't even come close to the riches of Christ. We should be so joyful about our wealth and fullness in Christ, that we wouldn't even think about our material items in the same thought. Material poverty is sad, but knowing Christ is of supreme importance, and no other sorrow should compare.