Johnhwilburn.com

Yesterday morning in the middle of a Jesus movie I was showing children the unthinkable happened…my Bose bluetooth speaker stopped working.

At first I thought it was a simple fix, but after all of my cords used in all of my chargers didn’t do the trick, there was a possibility it actually wouldn’t work again

It’s amazing how something as simple as the speaker breaking could ruin my whole morning. I tried to work on other things, but my mind was still on getting my Bose to work properly.

This frustration reached a peak last night as my earbuds came out of my ears (again) while trying to listen to an audiobook and I asked the Lord why He allowed my speaker to die (not my proudest moment).

For me yesterday was a reminder that there isn’t a lot of “suffering” involved in missions compared to the past. Of course being on the front lines of spiritual warfare does create pain, but technology and comforts makes it a lot easier to serve the Lord in a foreign land.

Compare my complaining about broken technology to a missionary like Adoniram Judson, and I have to ask if missions is “too easy.”

Earlier this month (April 11th) John Piper wrote an article on the life of Adoniram Judson called “He Died a Thousand Times-and Lived.” In it he described some of the suffering he endured.

1. He lost two wives, and seven of thirteen children to sickness
2. It took six-years for the first soul to accept Christ
3. Spiritual growth came in the area after nineteen years on the field
4. He spent seventeen months in prison dying from sickness
5. And went through great spiritual depression, spending forty-days in the jungle after the death of his wife and daughter

Thankfully the Lord has given me (and other missionaries) great gifts and comforts on the mission field

1. The ability to text, video chat, and call family members who are in other Countries
2. mission fields that are open to the Gospel
3. Internet and other tools (laptops, tablets, phones) that can allow us to get lots done in a very short period of time
4. Religious freedom to share Christ
5. And vehicles that allow us to go from place to place comfortably

We should thank God for these things…..but also recognize they make us “soft” in a way

The answer isn’t to get rid of technology (I’ll buy a new cord for my Bose) but make sure those conveniences help us take steps of faith, and endure greater suffering for the Gospel of Christ.