I love preparing teams for the mission field. One of the challenges I give each team that I work with is something I call, "3 Powerful, 3-word Phrases." I always tell people that these phrases aren't something to "use" on others, but rather something to use to challenge yourself. These phrases may seem a little extreme, but I've often found that conditions on the mission field call for extreme preparation in order for teams to perform at an effective level. After all, our goal is to reach people who don't know Jesus! That goal deserves the best preparation possible.
While these 3-word phrases are great to be used on the mission field, they aren't confined to a mission context. They can also be used to help challenge ourselves to a higher level in everyday life.
#1 - "Deal With It" - On the mission field (and in life), things will not always go the way we want them to go. Schedules will change and unexpected things will happen. That's something you can guarantee. At those moments when expectations aren't met, we must "deal with it." It's important to maintain the best attitude possible and turn the situation into something positive. Otherwise it destroys team morale and prevents us from accomplishing our goals to impact people's lives. This principle is a matter of overcoming the situations that we face instead of being overcome by them.
#2 - "Suck It Up" - I've faced some pretty crazy accommodations on the mission field such as: sleeping on the ground, a hole in the dirt for a toilet, nowhere to take a shower or sleep for 3 days straight, plus a whole lot more. It's easy to let our emotions take over when we face these unique situations. So if we don't quickly gain control of ourselves, our effectiveness will be greatly reduced. That's when we need to "Suck it up" and remember that we're there for others and not for ourselves. This principle is a matter of putting our preferences aside to pursue a higher goal.
#3 - "I'm A Warrior" - A warrior remains tough in all situations and does whatever that need to do to win the battle their facing. What a great way to approach the mission field and life as well! Sometimes, however, we don't "feel" like a warrior. That's why it's so important to confess that (with the help of Jesus Christ), "I'm a Warrior!" I'm convinced that each of us can do more than what we think we can. This principle is a matter of reminding ourselves that, through the power of Jesus Christ, there is nothing that I can't do!
