Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

In the second grade, I completed a timeline assignment about my little life, complete with projections for the future. I wanted to be a “mom, teacher, and an actress at night.” With a degree in education and three kids who call me Mom, I like to say that two out of three ain’t bad.

After graduating from college, I moved to Chihuahua, Mexico, certain I was the next Mother Teresa, loving the vulnerable. Where did the Lord choose to humble my heart? In a classroom full of missionary children who knew the Bible better than me. When I left the classroom after six years of teaching, I transitioned to vocational ministry. Where did the Lord lead me? To become a ministry leader? No, I became the executive administrative assistant at our church—a hidden role yet vital to those leading on the frontlines. After becoming a mother, first through foster care and then through biology, the Lord graciously allowed me to become a stay-at-home mom. For years, however, I sought other places of service outside of motherhood—all good things yet not always out of my obedience to Him.

Paul and Barnabas were two key players in the New Testament church. These men were respected and loved yet persecuted because their life’s mission was to exalt the name of Jesus, no matter the cost. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” If anyone had the right to boast about his accomplishments, it was Paul. His Hebrew pedigree was lengthy. Yet he counted it all as a loss in comparison to life with Christ (Philippians 3:8–10). Barnabas, known as the “son of encouragement,” also loved Jesus and was Paul’s ministry partner (Acts 4:36).

Neither of these men boasted in their own strength. They did everything through the power of the Holy Spirit. Before Barnabas and Paul went to the mission field, they fasted, prayed, and received prayer from other believers in their community (Acts 13:3). God sent them to share the good news with the Jews and then the Gentiles. Their equipping came from Christ alone.

Recently, the Lord led our family to begin a homeschooling journey, a choice I said I would never make. Yes, I have a teaching degree. But what qualifies me for the work God has called me to is not my degree. It is Christ within me. I wanted to do big things for God. To me, big things meant public work—noticed and applauded by others. But the work of Christ is often hidden and unseen. What matters most is not what we do for Him but rather what we do with Him.

Friend, a mission field is not always tucked away in a remote village. Your mission field is the daily ground on which you walk—your home, your workplace, your neighborhood. It is here where God wants to meet you, work through you, and speak to you. Will you join Him?