The courage to go the distance
CMS missionary Maggie Crewes is preparing for a new chapter of gospel ministry in the Northern Territory after serving with CMS for 32 years, most recently in Cambodia. Here, she reflects on how God uses our weak and feeble efforts for the good of his kingdom.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
God’s power made perfect in weakness
During my time in Cambodia, I partnered with an NGO which focussed on supporting young girls from Buddhist backgrounds who had been exploited and trafficked. These girls exemplified great courage, journeying from exploitation and trauma to face a new and often scary future.
As staff, our job was to provide the services and support to help these girls begin to heal and be restored–physically, emotionally, and we prayed, spiritually. Every now and again, I would be confronted with a particularly harrowing story or image that drove home the brokenness, evil and injustice of our world that had caused their trauma.
One day at our centre, I was spending time with one of the girls, who was only eight years old. She was drawing and wanted to trace around my hand. As she did, the stark contrast of my big handprint and her tiny one jumped out at me. I prayed, “O Lord–what have I to offer to this little, traumatised girl? Me, with limited language and such a different life experience?” Feeling useless, all I could do was sit and play, show love, and pray for this little girl as she pushed on with her therapy and treatments at our centre. God reminded me in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Reflections on Gethsemane
Recently, at a time of spiritual retreat, I was encouraged to reflect on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, on the night before he went to the cross (which can be found in Luke 22:40-46). Here was Jesus–fully God and fully man–sweating drops of blood and feeling the full weight of all the human emotions and psychological agony of the path he was about to take. It was at Gethsemane that he prepared to do the most courageous thing in all history–to take the burden of the sin of the world to the cross. What was his humble and very human request to his nearest and dearest friends at this point? He asked them to stay with him, and wait, watch and pray.
Courage in our weakness
Yes, courage can sometimes be seen in stepping out and doing a brave and impressive act, of ‘being scared and doing it anyway’. Yet at other times, it is being willing to do the hard yards, to persevere and go the distance. There is a certain courage in knowing that at a human level, what we contribute seems, in worldly terms, very little–apart from to wait, watch and pray, and thereby encourage others. In our hurting and broken world, are we willing to let the treasure of the gospel shine out through our human weakness and inability? Are we willing to be available for those in need? To entrust ourselves to our faithful God to use as he will? To allow him to speak or act through us, even though we feel so very limited, and may not see any immediate fruit to this ministry?
Can we hear Jesus say, “Come to me … and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), despite feeling burdened and constrained by our human weaknesses–yet entrusting ourselves and the simple things into his all-powerful hands? At the end of the day, it’s Jesus at work in and through us. Our contribution might seem negligible to human eyes, yet God can take our words, our acts, our love, and our presence, and transform it for his glory and his kingdom. It is always, and only ever, his work.
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God works through our weak and feeble efforts to advance his gospel throughout the world. Could God be prompting your heart to ‘go’? Click here to find out more.
