by Tom Wacaster
Editor’s
note: In a little less than five days I will be leaving for Manila,
Philippines, and then on to India for my first mission trip of 2014.
This will be my first to journey to the Philippines, and I look forward
to experiencing the culture of that part of the world and preaching in
that country. Following five days work in the Philippines I will head
for Kakinada, India and then on to Bangalore for seven days work with
the brethren there. I beseech your prayers for a safe journey and a
profitable one for the Lord’s cause. I wrote the following article
about ten years ago on one of those occasions when it was time for me to
make one of my mission trips for that year. That will help you
understand some of the references I make to dates and places.
~~~~~~~~~~
Some years ago famed country and western singer Willie Nelson produced a hit entitled, “On The Road Again.” A portion of that song contained the following words: “On the road again, Goin’ places that I’ve never been; Seein’ things that I may never see again. And I can’t wait to get on the road again.” Of course Willie Nelson had a certain country nasal twang that gave his song a unique sound as well as a unique message.
It has been a little over four years since I decided to go into mission work “full time.” Between May of 2004 and the present I have logged more than half a million air miles traveling to Russia, India, Ethiopia, Mexico, not counting trips stateside in raising funds for the work. I have added more than 150,000 miles to my automobiles, and stayed in so many motels and hotels here in America and abroad that I have thought about buying stock in the hotel business. Sometimes the road becomes weary, and each mile seems like a hundred. But in the back of my mind I know that every mile traveled not only brings me closer to my intended destination for that particular journey, but one step closer to my eternal home when this life is over. This coming Monday (August 11th) I will leave for India, followed by a trip to Ethiopia. But before I go, let me share with you why “I can’t wait to get on the road again.”
First, when I am on the road I am reminded of what it means to be a sojourner and pilgrim. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). The “fleshly lusts” impede our progress toward our destination and “war against the soul.” I have learned over the years that I don’t need to “carry” so much “stuff” with me when I travel. I was checking in at DFW for my most recent trip to Russia. Just ahead of me was a couple who were on their way to England. Each of them had three bags to check in and two to carry on - and that did not include his briefcase and her purse - twelve pieces of luggage in all! Jesus warned us of the thorns that will choke out our effectiveness and encumber our journey. Brethren, don’t get bogged down with the mad rush for material abundance. Remember, our Lord warned us, “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Lk. 12:15).
Second, when I am on the road my various travels remind me of what it means to be a good steward of the time God gives us each and every day of our life. I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said that “Time is the stuff that life is made of.” I never cease to be amazed at how much time we American’s waste. With the advent of television, and now the “internet,” productivity and output in the workplace has suffered immensely. We have developed labor saving devices only to squander the extra time on worldly pleasures, week-end trips, and wasteful endeavors. Attendance at church has suffered, gospel meetings are poorly supported, and mid-week services typically show a great drop in numbers. Many of our brethren in India, Africa, and Ethiopia do not have the “extra” time we enjoy because of our labor saving devices. But my impression is that many of those who have less time utilize what time they do have in an expedient fashion that would put many of us to shame.
Third, because of my world travels I have come to appreciate the world wide nature of our Lord’s church. The church of Christ is not an American church. It is not an India church, or a Russian church. It is universal in its scope. The Jews had to learn the hard way that our God is no respecter of persons. Jew and Gentile alike were recipients of the gospel. Brethren, the church of Christ was not established for white, middle class Americans. When I travel abroad, as soon as I walk into a building with brothers and sisters in Christ there is an immediate bond that we have in common. It makes no difference the size of the building, or whether it be made of concrete, sticks with a thatch roof, or an elaborate building the likes of which are unheard of by many brethren in other parts of the world; it is the people who make up the church.
Fourth, when I am on the road I am aware of the distinct possibility that I am going places that I “may never see again.” Life is transient, like a “vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (Jas. 4:14). Tomorrow’s trip to India may be my last; opportunities to teach in Russia may be nothing more than a closed door and a past memory in an instant. With every trip I am cognizant that the flight that I am presently on could very well be my last.
Finally, when I am on the road I am reminded what it means to be separated from those whom I love. My wife does not travel with me on these trips, and when I am away from home my heart is always hundreds if not thousands of miles from where I might be laboring in the Lord’s kingdom. But in the back of my mind I am confident that I will be rejoined to my family, Lord willing, and once again look upon the faces of those who are the nearest and dearest to me in this life. There is coming a day when those “separations” will be of a longer duration, for when death comes to take one of our loved ones our lives will be empty and void of the smiles, hugs and handshakes we shared with those who have gone on before. But we know that this “separation” will only be for a while, and when the Lord comes again, those who died in the Lord and those presently living in the Lord will be called up to join the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with Him throughout eternity. That, my friends, will be the ultimate road trip with the destination final and permanent. Someone captured these very sentiments in one of the verses of the song, “God’s Family.”
And tho’ some go before us,
We’ll all meet again,
Just inside the city,
As we enter in;
There’ll be no more parting,
With Jesus we’ll be,
Together forever,
God’s family
That will be a wonderful day, for nevermore shall we roam, and we won’t have to be “on the road again.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Some years ago famed country and western singer Willie Nelson produced a hit entitled, “On The Road Again.” A portion of that song contained the following words: “On the road again, Goin’ places that I’ve never been; Seein’ things that I may never see again. And I can’t wait to get on the road again.” Of course Willie Nelson had a certain country nasal twang that gave his song a unique sound as well as a unique message.
It has been a little over four years since I decided to go into mission work “full time.” Between May of 2004 and the present I have logged more than half a million air miles traveling to Russia, India, Ethiopia, Mexico, not counting trips stateside in raising funds for the work. I have added more than 150,000 miles to my automobiles, and stayed in so many motels and hotels here in America and abroad that I have thought about buying stock in the hotel business. Sometimes the road becomes weary, and each mile seems like a hundred. But in the back of my mind I know that every mile traveled not only brings me closer to my intended destination for that particular journey, but one step closer to my eternal home when this life is over. This coming Monday (August 11th) I will leave for India, followed by a trip to Ethiopia. But before I go, let me share with you why “I can’t wait to get on the road again.”
First, when I am on the road I am reminded of what it means to be a sojourner and pilgrim. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). The “fleshly lusts” impede our progress toward our destination and “war against the soul.” I have learned over the years that I don’t need to “carry” so much “stuff” with me when I travel. I was checking in at DFW for my most recent trip to Russia. Just ahead of me was a couple who were on their way to England. Each of them had three bags to check in and two to carry on - and that did not include his briefcase and her purse - twelve pieces of luggage in all! Jesus warned us of the thorns that will choke out our effectiveness and encumber our journey. Brethren, don’t get bogged down with the mad rush for material abundance. Remember, our Lord warned us, “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Lk. 12:15).
Second, when I am on the road my various travels remind me of what it means to be a good steward of the time God gives us each and every day of our life. I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said that “Time is the stuff that life is made of.” I never cease to be amazed at how much time we American’s waste. With the advent of television, and now the “internet,” productivity and output in the workplace has suffered immensely. We have developed labor saving devices only to squander the extra time on worldly pleasures, week-end trips, and wasteful endeavors. Attendance at church has suffered, gospel meetings are poorly supported, and mid-week services typically show a great drop in numbers. Many of our brethren in India, Africa, and Ethiopia do not have the “extra” time we enjoy because of our labor saving devices. But my impression is that many of those who have less time utilize what time they do have in an expedient fashion that would put many of us to shame.
Third, because of my world travels I have come to appreciate the world wide nature of our Lord’s church. The church of Christ is not an American church. It is not an India church, or a Russian church. It is universal in its scope. The Jews had to learn the hard way that our God is no respecter of persons. Jew and Gentile alike were recipients of the gospel. Brethren, the church of Christ was not established for white, middle class Americans. When I travel abroad, as soon as I walk into a building with brothers and sisters in Christ there is an immediate bond that we have in common. It makes no difference the size of the building, or whether it be made of concrete, sticks with a thatch roof, or an elaborate building the likes of which are unheard of by many brethren in other parts of the world; it is the people who make up the church.
Fourth, when I am on the road I am aware of the distinct possibility that I am going places that I “may never see again.” Life is transient, like a “vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (Jas. 4:14). Tomorrow’s trip to India may be my last; opportunities to teach in Russia may be nothing more than a closed door and a past memory in an instant. With every trip I am cognizant that the flight that I am presently on could very well be my last.
Finally, when I am on the road I am reminded what it means to be separated from those whom I love. My wife does not travel with me on these trips, and when I am away from home my heart is always hundreds if not thousands of miles from where I might be laboring in the Lord’s kingdom. But in the back of my mind I am confident that I will be rejoined to my family, Lord willing, and once again look upon the faces of those who are the nearest and dearest to me in this life. There is coming a day when those “separations” will be of a longer duration, for when death comes to take one of our loved ones our lives will be empty and void of the smiles, hugs and handshakes we shared with those who have gone on before. But we know that this “separation” will only be for a while, and when the Lord comes again, those who died in the Lord and those presently living in the Lord will be called up to join the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with Him throughout eternity. That, my friends, will be the ultimate road trip with the destination final and permanent. Someone captured these very sentiments in one of the verses of the song, “God’s Family.”
And tho’ some go before us,
We’ll all meet again,
Just inside the city,
As we enter in;
There’ll be no more parting,
With Jesus we’ll be,
Together forever,
God’s family
That will be a wonderful day, for nevermore shall we roam, and we won’t have to be “on the road again.”