Paper Maps and Red Light Bulbs

In seventy-five days, eight hours, and nine minutes, I will turn twenty-one years old. In my entire life as an almost twenty-one-year-old, there has been one moment in my life when I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was it. A brief moment of clarity when I knew the God-given purpose for my life.

Growing up in church as a youth pastor’s daughter, and one of six kids at the time, I always had the best church experiences. The church was a second home for my siblings and me, and we acted just like it. At seven years old, Wednesday nights were the highlight of my week. Dinner at McDonald’s (because 39 cent hamburgers was cheap eating on a pastor’s budget), Royals Rangers for the boys, Missionettes for the girls, and mid-week prayer service for my parents. It was one of those nights when 8:30pm rolled around and kids were let loose...but the adults were still in prayer service.

Freedom.

We thought as we roamed about the old, traditional Baptist building our Assembly of God church purchased a few years back. Oh the games us kids thought up in all the time our parents experienced the third coming of the holy spirit and revival breaking loose...from princes and princesses, to mini-church, to haunted horror. We must have been in the middle of one of these scenarios when the strict Miss Tammy caught us at the top of the steeple and sent us straight into service to sit with our parents. I remember feeling so embarrassed, aggravated, bored, and probably a little tired too, but despite all of those emotions of a perturbed seven-year-old, the Lord had a message He was trying to get through to me. I don’t remember the missionary that stood behind the pulpit. I couldn’t tell you where he was from or even what he said, but whatever it was, it shook me into a much deeper reality from my previous state of mind.

The service ended, and like many Wednesday nights, my parents stayed late talking. While waiting I took a stroll down the hall, walking bewilderment , trying to make sense of the needs that so heavily burdened my heart. I suddenly found myself looking up at our church’s world map that swallowed both the wall and myself. I studied it for a minute and then began to carefully push each button, watching in awe as the mini lightning bulbs flickered from country to country, showing the light of all our supported missionaries around the world....and in that moment I knew it. That was it. One day I would be one of those lightning bulbs lighting up a paper map. I would be a missionary.

 

-BJM