10. Trust God’s Timing and Plan—Even When It Looks Like Failure
Living on mission requires patience and trust in God’s timing. Not every opportunity to share the Gospel will have immediate results. Not every seed you plant will grow. Not every person you pour into will stay. And some of the people you love most will walk away.
This is where most of us quit.
We want to see fruit. We want to know it mattered. We want confirmation that we didn’t waste our time. But Jesus planted seeds in rocky soil, too. He preached to crowds who walked away. He invested in a disciple who betrayed Him. And He did it anyway, because mission isn’t about success—it’s about faithfulness.
Trusting that God is working behind the scenes allows us to remain steadfast in our mission, knowing that He is in control. But here’s the hard part: sometimes you’ll die before you see the harvest. Sometimes the fruit of your labor will be enjoyed by people you never meet. Sometimes God will ask you to be faithful in the dark, with no evidence that anything is changing.
That’s mission. Not a victory lap, but a long obedience in the same direction. And it’s only possible when we stop needing to see results and start trusting the One who sees everything.
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The Cost of Living on Mission
To live on mission is to follow Jesus’ example with intentionality and purpose. It involves loving others, sharing the Gospel, serving selflessly, and walking in faith daily. But let’s not sanitize what that actually means.
It means your life won’t be comfortable. It means you’ll be misunderstood, criticized, and sometimes rejected. It means your calendar will be interrupted, your plans will be derailed, and your resources will be stretched thin. It means you’ll pour yourself out for people who may never say thank you, and you’ll plant seeds you’ll never see grow.
But it also means you’ll participate in something far greater than yourself. It means you’ll see God work in ways that leave you breathless. It means your life will count for something that lasts beyond your lifetime. It means you’ll know—really know—what it means to follow Jesus, not just talk about Him.
By incorporating these practical steps into our lives, we can actively participate in God’s mission and make a lasting impact for His kingdom. As we seek to live on mission, may we continually rely on His strength, wisdom, and grace to fulfill His calling. Not because it’s easy, but because nothing else is worth living for.
The question isn’t whether living on mission is hard. It is. The question is whether you believe the Gospel is true enough to stake your entire life on it. Because if it is, then nothing else matters. And if it’s not, then nothing we do matters anyway.
So what will it be?
