That’s a big order and it sometimes takes quite a while for a missionary to discover what is holding him down and keeping him back from doing his best on the job. But you can save yourself a lot of grief later on by learning now how to clean out and get rid of what is useless to you as Christ’s servant. Think over these suggestions:
Get Rid of Your Pride and Prejudices
A number of years ago, a book called The Ugly American showed how Americans appear to people in other nations. It reported that Americans are seen as proud, loud-mouthed, prejudiced, selfish, boastful, impatient, unwilling to listen and learn and much more. A magazine on my desk includes an article entitled, “Why Do South Americans Dislike Us?” And there is a sharp treatment here of these same attitudes that make us look ugly to others.
Get Rid of Your Critical Attitudes
You probably have some of this. We all do. I notice that high school and college folks sometimes have lots of it towards each other, their parents, pastor, church, school and most anybody. They talk people down and not up. If you can’t dump this stuff off and get rid of it, you will be one miserable missionary someday.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Possessions
Learn to live without much that other people regard as necessary. Some years ago I traveled across the Pacific to Asia with a missionary who told me he was going to China for a third term of service. On his first and second trip he took very little with him, but this time he felt he should live better. So he had six tons of baggage with him. I later learned that it took him a year and a half to get all his stuff out to West China where he lived. And then the Communists took his city before he had time to open even one box. He fled and never saw his goods again.
I have a big bagful of stories about the troubles and losses that missionaries have had with their possessions. These stories all end up needful of the same firm advice — keep and hold only such things as you need for your work, and even these things should be held with a loose grip.
Hudson Taylor, the pioneer missionary to China, is said to have made an inventory of his books and other belongings once a year. Over each item he asked the question, “Is this necessary for the work God has given me to do?” If the answer was, “no,” he got rid of it.
Get Rid of Entertainment
Oh, not all of it, but about 90% of it anyway. America is flooded with entertainment. Movies, radio, TV, books, magazines, and even advertising are all designed to entertain the American. And we fall for it. Our spare time between college classes or work shifts and our evenings is surrendered to entertainment. It’s taken for granted, and we don’t even think to question it.
But if you go to live with poor people, to be the servant of Christ among them in some yonder village, you will leave almost all of this behind. Better start discarding a lot of it now or you will have a hard time of it later.