In chapters 3 and 4 of "Bruchko," Bruce finds himself in a very difficult position. Due to his new found personal relationship with Jesus, Bruce finds himself ostracized by his family and the Lutheran church he attends. The pastor and all of his youth group friends dislike him because of what he says, misreading his enthusiasm for condescension. Bruce finds true worship of the Lord at his friend's interdenominational church, where he feels the call to become a missionary. Bruce struggles with this idea, preferring a normal, safe, and comfortable life as a linguistics professor. However, he cannot shake God's call, so he decides to pursue the mission field. Interestingly enough, no missions agencies will accept him because he does not have sufficient training, so he fears he will not get the opportunity to follow the Lord's call. Then he realizes, God is not telling him not to go, it is just the mission board. Bruce steps out on a limb in faith, trusting that the Lord will provide for him and guide him on his journey. So, he gets a plane ticket to South America and follows the Lord's call.
Bruce Olson's story is a magnificent one. Had he not responded to what he felt the Lord was calling him to, he probably would have spent the rest of his life wondering "what if?" and regretting his inaction. This says so much to me about stepping out in faith and following the Lord, even when it looks impractical. This kid had no missions experience, everyone was telling him that this was a bad idea, he had no outdoors experience or even an adventurous spirit, and yet the Lord used him in amazing ways. This story is inspiring, to say the least. Not everyone is called to the mission field, or even such radical and difficult mission fields as the tropical rainforest of Colombia, but every Christian does have a calling from God, to which he or she needs to respond. No matter what it is, every Christian's calling is going to stretch them.
Eventually, you will find yourself outside of your comfort zone and when that happens, what will your response be? Will it be to run from the Lord like Jonah, or will it be a response of faith, like that of Abraham? Personally, I have been struggling to find something I really want to do, something worthwhile. I really want to hear God's call on my life and to follow that call with faith, but I haven't heard anything yet. I know God is not going to call me to something that I can't handle and that I won't enjoy, but it is still scary to put my all my faith in His will and rely wholly on the Lord. Bruce Olson did it, and his story is incredible. He impacted so many lives. I can only pray that God will use me as He used Bruce Olson. Whether that means living and working in middle class America and affecting those around me, showing them Christ, or traveling to the farthest reaches of the world and spreading the gospel to people who have never heard it, I want to be used by God.
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