According to my Human Anatomy Textbook smell is one of the best triggers of memories. That's why when you smell cookies baking it reminds you of that time that you were making Christmas cookies with grandma. Or when you smell a barn it reminds you of the field trip you went on in fifth grade… random things. God gave us smell to identify and to remember. The smell that triggers a flood of emotions for me is 'foreign country.' Every country smells differently. When you step off of the plane into a brand new world a flood of scents fill your nostrils. It's that smell and that atmosphere that I often miss.
So, God reminds me. On some brisk early mornings as I walk into school as I step into a street and cross the road I get a whiff of something… and it reminds me of foreign countries and mission trip mornings. I like to call them mission trip mornings because they are distinctive. They are the mornings waking up early to the literal crow of a rooster or the buzz of a street, pulling myself out of bed, and rubbing my eyes as I remember where I am- not at home. My body longs to lay back down and fall back asleep but my mind disagrees, the day is full of potential. Those are the days that could be life changing. New experiences are calling my name. I wake up joyous and ready. Mission trip mornings often involve a quick breakfast and a fast jump onto a bus to head to some new place.
But, why would God remind me of mission trip mornings as I walk into school? Why would God remind me of mornings that I love on mornings that I hate? Why would God remind me of days and weeks that I love on hours that I despise in school? Why would God remind me of a people that I love while I'm stuck with teenagers that I find annoying? And with prayer I realize that He does it not to create a longing, but to remind me that every day should be a 'mission'. So, as I walk into school I should embrace my peers that make my cringe. I should keep my eyes open for God's movement. I should strive to understand the people that I spend seven hours a day five days a week with. I should live expecting every day to be life changing instead of just going through the routine.
On one of these mornings I decided to make it a 'mission trip' morning in school and my world was flipped around. All of a sudden I see the egotistical guy that sits in front of me as a soul hungry to feel accepted. I see the girl who shares her opinions (that I often don't agree with) too much as a soul who needs to see the truth. I see the girl that I've known for years and never invested in a relationship with her as a heart striving to be loved and to love. I see the guy who strives to 'fit in' as somebody who needs to feel needed. I have been placed into an atmosphere that needs the truth.
But, that day also scared me. I saw so many lost souls that my heart ached. I realized that there is no shying away from the truth- everyone of my peers who is not a believer will one day stand before Jesus Christ and finally see the truth-Jesus reigns and is the true Savior of the world. And it's this image that scares me to death. I am afraid of a moment when my friend turns to me and says "Why didn't you tell me?"
So, my greatest fear is not that I live an insignificant life. My greatest fear is that I have insignificant relationships, that I have insignificant days, and that when my peers look at me my relationship with Christ will be seen as insignificant.
It is on those mornings that I get a whiff that I remember what I'm living for. God has given me a hard 'mission': The 'field' I don't exactly love, the people I haven't always appreciated, and I would much rather remain indifferent. But, this is where God is trusting me to be his vessel. Ready or not high school here I come.
