Nothing has been more encouraging and inspiring than serving Christian Missionaries these last eight years. No matter what difficulties, hardships, challenges, traumas, and tragedies they have gone through, I have noticed how their faith is unwavering. They never cease to hope and genuinely be grateful to God, who sent them to the fire. Don’t get me wrong, they are human. I have cried with them and experienced their pain and sorrow. But they move forward, even when the odds are against them, for the love of the people they gave up everything for, they return to the fire. I have been asked many times why Missionaries do this. Why sacrifice? Scripture gives us the answer, “For if I [merely] preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for I am compelled [that is, absolutely obligated to do it]. Woe to me if I do not preach the good news [of salvation]” (1 Cor. 9:16 AMP)! Missionaries are not heroes nor supernatural people, but ordinary people compelled by Jesus to love God with all their heart, soul, and being and love others as themselves. But there is another reason they are compelled, it is because God changed their lives changed their trajectory from darkness to light, and out of gratefulness, they are compelled to share the good news so others might receive the same freedom they experienced.
I was reading an article last year on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) among veterans. In the study, they noticed that some of the soldiers who came back home exhibited a positive reaction to the trauma they experienced. Their finding stated that high gratitude had something to do with their positive recovery. “High dispositional gratitude may help protect against the development of psychopathology and suicidal behaviors in U.S. military veterans, whereas low gratitude may increase risk of developing these outcomes. Collectively, these results support the potential utility of enhancing gratitude as part of primary prevention efforts for veterans, service members, and other populations at heightened risk for adverse mental health outcomes” (McGuire, et al., 2023). It dawned on me why Missionaries are resilient; it is because they are grateful that they have a God that saves them, more than their physical lives, but also their soul.
This day, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us remember the root of this celebration: regardless of our backgrounds, culture, and history, the motive of Thanksgiving is to be thankful to God for the life He gave us, good, hard, difficult, and joyful. This life on earth is just a passing moment, a step to eternity where we will be with Him forever, who saved us.
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