The Lazy Missionary

I have now been classified as a "missionary" twice in my lifetime. The first was during my year in China as my wife and I taught English to college sophomores in Tianjin. The second is my current appointment in inner city Indianapolis where I am considered by many to be an "urban missionary." Before ever taking either of these positions, I thought of missionaries as those lone, brave souls who are out in uncomfortable places working tirelessly for the spread of the gospel. Now, having been a so-called missionary, I have a different, more complex view.

It is entirely possible for a missionary, like any Christian, to be completely lazy. In fact, I would have to admit that my year in China was in some ways the least stressful year of my life. I think Courtney and I watched more movies that year than we ever had before or since. It was incredibly tempting for us in the midst of all of the culture stress to isolate ourselves in our little apartment, spending time playing games, reading, watching movies, or surfing the web. Meanwhile, our friends back home were just sure that Greg and Courtney were always out hugging and kissing Chinese orphan babies. And although we did in fact hug and kiss Chinese orphan babies, we only did so for two hours every other Friday afternoon.

My point is this... although locating ourselves among the needy is an important piece of the puzzle in mission, it is not the whole picture. I know of one nameless individual who is currently situated in Rwanda and spends huge amounts of his/her time playing a Nintendo Wii. I do not pass judgment on this individual because I know how incredibly tempting it can be for a missionary to medicate his or her pain with entertainment and the comforts of the American lifestyle.

Missionaries, like any other Christian, are vulnerable to laziness and the temptations of comfort. When I pictured myself entering into the inner city, I had in mind walking the streets at night with bullets whizzing over my head as I traveled bravely to visit the drug addict down the street and save him from suicide. But right now I am instead sitting in my bathrobe at my computer in my warm, quiet home. So for those of you out there who might think of missionaries as martyrs, I'll just say this... not all missionaries are equal. Teachers in China are a far cry from Teresa of Calcutta.

Now I'm going to go make myself a cup of coffee.