Go Into All the World

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16: 14-19

I have spent the last few weeks behind the wheel of the car, taking mostly local trips, ferrying a challenged mother and a recuperating husband to doctors and the like. Occasionally I am sent on some mission or another to retrieve a needed medicine or the like. It has given me time to reflect on what it means to be sent, to be the wheels and legs of those who cannot right now. It is a responsibility that I am happy to take on, but I never feel adequate for all the tasks and things they need me for. At the end of the day there always seem to be many things yet to do.

The disciples were admonished by Jesus for their unbelief then sent forward into all the world. They must have felt both honored and afraid, wanting to believe in their own capacity and knowing all too well their limits. Their world was limited, their failures all too real. And yet Jesus promised to equip them with what they needed and to be with them throughout.

Today, I ask God to strengthen me as I go forth, trying to be enough for the tasks of the day. Knowing that relying on God is the only way to face the world, I ask God to supply me with the tools and the patience I need to serve and care for those entrusted to me.