When God chooses a person, He does it with the intention of entrusting him or her with a certain mission. Similarly, a person who encounters Jesus not only receives healing, consolation and deliverance, but also a mission. It is a call to be part of the mission of the Lord.

Sometime ago, I happened to come across a Shalom missionary in California, USA, who was labouring for Christ with fervid zeal. The manner in which she toiled for the kingdom of God amid the efforts to salvage her family that was in shambles influenced me a lot. She visited various churches and communities with the intention of introducing them to Shalom ministries; distributed Shalom Tidings magazines and invited people to attend retreats. I’m sure that only a person whose soul is on fire can embark on such endeavors. I got to know more after speaking with her for some time.

She began by saying she too was like the Samaritan woman of the Gospel. For three decades, she led a life that was far off from God and religion. She had a tryst with the Lord during a Shalom program. She decided to attend the retreat as she wished to stay away from her family. For her, that retreat was a way to remain aloof from everyone just like the Samaritan woman who went to fetch water at noon so that no one watches her. But the Lord saw her and it became a turning point in life.

She prayed and made a good confession and emerged from the retreat as a missionary. “I don’t need anyone’s testimony. I wish to share the Lord who saved me, with others,” she said.

Once we become fully aware of what our calling is, no one can choose to remain idle. Like the Samaritan woman who discarded her pitcher full of water at the well and became a herald of the Good News, that lady too became a missionary. She did not think of undertaking the evangelizing mission after fulfilling all her worldly responsibilities. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mathew 6:33).

Doesn’t the love of Christ compel you too? By spending your time, wealth and talents for the sake of the kingdom of God, let us become good missionaries and build up His Church.