I wish I was on a missions trip

So, you're back from your summer missions trip, and off the mountain and headed back down the side. (for some, literally, our church's youth group spent a week in the mountains in Appalachia – but this a biblical reference and metaphor for that missions-trip buzz you're coming off of. That's why it's called a trip).

At the end of the week, you were tired, but excited about the work that you saw God doing. Now what? Some of you want to stay where you were, because "It's not as boring as where you are now." You love the feeling of doing something special, of really serving those in need. Admittedly, it can be a grind coming back to whatever reality you live in, good or bad.

Perhaps you're missing the point: Missions trips are a sprint in the marathon of life, and the apostle Paul says we're to run the race to receive the prize, the writer of Hebrews says we are to run the race with endurance. Life is a marathon, (not a sprint) and a marathon requires endurance.

Why are the missions trips so exciting and invigorating, and why do our day-to-day activities seem so, well, boring?

Missions trips are special, and they should challenge you, give you opportunity to stretch yourself, to let God stretch you, and to draw you closer to God – while you're serving others. Shouldn't that be happening at home too? Of course, but at a slower pace. Any gardener knows that growth happens with water and fertilizer – too much of either can burn out or drown a plant.

If serving God through missions is your passion, don't forget that there are mission fields at home – we just don't call them that. We make them seem less that that by calling them school, community, work, church (yes, church!) – any place you happen to be. Remember what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "We are Christ's ambassadors, God is making his appeal through us." We've got a daily task of reconciling people to him, but it takes focus, strength and endurance. An ambassador represents their King no matter where they are or what they are doing.

What to watch for when you come down off the mountain? Just like Moses, keep your eyes out for the golden calf.