God, Me, the World . . . by Melinda Faust

I do not recall when I started praying, but I remember two of my earliest prayers:

(1) A dog. I earnestly asked for a dog for years, a cuddly pet to keep me company in my childhood. (2) I would not be a missionary. I told God that I was willing to be anything, except a missionary.

Well, God responded to both prayers. On my 13th birthday, I got my first dog, Herby. I was amazed at God's answer to my prayer! It was one of the first times I really knew for sure that God cared about me and took an active interest in my life.

On my 19th birthday, I left for my first short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic. God has since given me several opportunities to serve him cross-culturally, both domestically and internationally, in places like Chile, England, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and New York. Through these experiences, I better understand God's desire for all people and I see that he is active in their lives and cares about them.

I am still amazed by both responses to the petitions of my youth. God's leading in my life toward cross-cultural ministry particularly surprises me, but I also have come to understand that this calling is not unique to myself, but is the calling of all followers of Christ.

This makes sense to me. We are all the result of cross-cultural ministry. At some point, someone in your family or social history crossed the borders of country, politics, race, personality, culture, language, tradition, socio-economic class, or status to tell you the wonderful news of Christ. And since at least the time of Abraham, God has told all followers of himself to do this.

I hope God leads me to live and work in non-USA parts of the world. However, even as I live in the USA, he still leads me to cross-cultural ministry. In fact, as a multi-ethnic person, pretty much every relationship in my life is cross-cultural.

I am twenty-something, a woman, Asian/Korean American, adopted, and fairly idiosyncratic intentionally. And you are you intentionally, too! God specifically created each of us to please him. How exciting that we get to discover how God designed us and every other person for his good purposes.

This has several practical outcomes. It means we need to love everybody, and not just in theory. We really must care for, appreciate, and notice each person, culture, nation, family, and community. This must be intentional on our part, just as God intentionally created us. It also means we must stand up with and for all people, seeking to relate to individuals as well as their communities. This hard work is easier said than done. Social justice, anyone? Improved race relations? Paying attention to and taking action in the issues of the world?

I describe this way of life as worldly. In society's terms, I see my generation well on their way to worldliness, meaning they are knowledgeable and practiced in a variety of cultural activities, internationally networked, and multi-lingual. We know that if we are not worldly (in this positive sense), we're headed for failure in our profession, academic career, interpersonal relationships, and personal development. Similarly, if followers of Christ are not worldly (in a biblical sense—see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23), we are disobedient to God. We must be worldly-minded so we can serve the world.

Clearly, God has made me a missionary. Who are missionaries but people who live to fulfill the mission of the kingdom of God? God's responses to my earliest prayers showed me the love he has for me and the world, so I would dearly desire for everyone to know this love. May we all hold onto this desire.

*Melinda Faust is David and Candy Faust’s daughter. *