We landed in the tropical land of Honduras with four suitcases and not a clue as to what we were called to do. Our ministry, Heart of Christ, first began when my husband, Lee, and I came to live permanently in Honduras on June 28, 2005. We didn’t know what it was we were supposed to do; we only knew that God called us to be here.
However, if we had known what God planned in sending us to Honduras, we would never have come. We had no idea what God planned for our lives. It was too big and terrifying for our minds to believe it was possible. He said go . . . and we went.
The idea of carrying a gun alongside my Bible, working with presidents and first ladies, as well as other top government leaders, and the thought of changing a nation was beyond anything I could comprehend—in the beginning.
Then there was the danger. Surviving assassination attempts, dealing with rape, child and spousal abuse, kidnapping, murder, sex trafficking, and working in one of the most dangerous places on Earth was definitely . . . not on my bucket list.
Sometimes the Lord grows you into his plan for your life, a little at a time, until suddenly you find yourself someplace you never imagined you would be. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and any dream or vision we could imagine would never reach the heights, size, or victory of the vision he creates. The vision is always too big and too impossible to realize, which is exactly his plan because we would absolutely know it was the Lord who made it come to pass and not ourselves.
Life with God, and in his calling, is a constant journey. The vision—or calling—never comes to an end. It grows and continues to change each day.
Let me quote Pastor Steven Furtick in his book (Un)qualified:
“Jesus came to put hands and feet on God’s love for broken mankind. Jesus met people in their messes and his whole-hearted acceptance and love changed them forever . . . What God does even through our weaknesses is bigger, better and bolder than we could have asked or thought.”
In talking about our activities, we joke and tell people we work in the dark side of ministry, doing things people would never do, going where people would never go, seeing great wonders and great horrors. But it is the truth. Faith and obedience, serving God is an action. Most Christians will give and pray and some even serve but going into the darkness is not something everyone does . . . nor should they.
Jesus went into the ultimate darkness of hell and the grave for us and rose again giving us everlasting life. He has sent me and Lee into the darkness. This is where we live amid rape, corruption, death threats, murder, spousal abuse, sex trafficking, and betrayal. It is amazing and frightening, and we can’t do this without him.
Before you begin to believe we are special, let me clear that right up. We never would have taken the first step if we had we known what God planned. Every step along the way we feel unqualified to do this work. But God loves using the unqualified. He calls them, appoints them, and enables his children to walk into the destiny he planned for them.
All we must do is be obedient and say yes, even if we do not know what we are saying yes to. The same is asked of you and all believers.
“For it is God who is working in you, [enabling you] both to will and to act for His good purpose.” (Phil. 2:13 NIV)
Ken Wytsma, in his book Pursuing Justice, writes:
“Looking after those who require everything and seem to give nothing in return is the very picture of God’s love for us. . . . We are never closer to God than when we are pursuing justice by serving others . . . Justice is rooted in the character of God, established in the creation of God, motivated by the love of God, affirmed in the teachings of Jesus, reflected in the example of Jesus, and carried on today by all who are moved and led by the Spirit . . . Justice is a mosaic. It’s not only about single pieces—it’s also about all the pieces working together in a stunning whole . . . Justice is rooted in the character of God and flows from the heart of God . . . God’s heart beats with justice.”
God has called us specifically to walk in justice ministry—and He calls you to walk in His service, however that manifests. Simply know that you cannot separate justice from God’s love, from ministry, or from faith. Doing justice is God’s love in action, whatever the danger it presents.
And so we must act at all costs, because that is what Jesus did for us.
This article is an excerpt from Journey to Justice.
