How Many Years Is To Many Years For A Mission?

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

May the love of Christ consume you all...

 

So i was thinking what is to long to mission someone for that is bearing no fruit according to church millitants. The holy bible says 3 years with the orchard worker and the owner telling him to cut down the tree and the worker begging for one more year after he had already done 2 years with the tree. What is the longest mission you have embarked on without falling desperately into sin and/or despair ? Like i guess the biblical example is just an example and is perhaps saying don't spend to long fertilizing a tree that refuses to bear fruit.

 

Jesus is LORD.

 

 

P.s. I'm actually just thinking perhaps 3 years and than you can check back in and try again at a later date if the tree hasn't died or something. Or perhaps it suddenly takes naturally after all the hard work at a later date at the hands of nature, not discounting the seed/work that has been sown, i guess sometimes we sow and than nature does it's work.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

 Ayo, so anyhow my main aim is to find out what is your longest mission with regular pruning, fertilizing and watering, and what is your perspective of how long one should take and what are the signs that your going to far and God is saying quit and go to another tree.

[AnneLine]

Tab, this is a really good question.  I am neither a Church Scholar nor a theologian... but my guess is that the Scripture reference is to the 3 years of Jesus' public life - his 'mission'.  

 

However... one could argue that he spent from age 12 to 30 (more or less....) in a different kind of a mission -- simply being the Son of Mary and Joseph, learning a trade, and being a simple worker in wood.   And prayer.   And study of the Scriptures.  That was just as much a part of His example to us as his public life.....

 

But it is hard hard HARD to continue to do work day by day, minute by minute, without seeing a lot of return.  It's hard to know whether the plant is just on its usual cycle (many plants simply don't bloom or produce for a few years....) or whether it is dormant, or not getting the kind of nutrients, weather, etc. that it needs.  And I think the same is true for us!  Sometimes we need to just stick with something for a while, and then we get first a certain degree of comfort with it... and then mastery of it.  But sometimes it can just feel like it is going on, and on, and on.

 

At moments like that I try to look at whether I am at peace in my heart.... or if I am a troubled.  If I am at peace, I keep going on.  If I am troubled, I still go on, but spend more time listening for God's word, and ask others for their feedback as well.

 

How long?  Well... again, I think it depends on the project.and my own resources, personal, financial, spiritual and emotional.   

 

Don't know if this is helpful or not.  What do the rest of you think?  How about you, Tab....?

[CatherineM]

It would be different for different people. There was a ministry back in St. Pete where missionaries could vacation and recharge. It was an old motor court place. They would have people that needed a medical procedure like knee replacement who came home to have it done. Other people would be resting between placements or to raise money to go back.

I always thought it was a cool place.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

This is it also Catherine and AnneLine with the whole holiday thing and orders, orders have plenty of other Christians surrounding them being there fellow monks, nuns or priests. I'm considering giving up mission work  because i have little to no christian support at present except from phatmass which is ok and i appreciate it and will stay but it isn't that raw eye to eye contact that i need regularly with other Christians and hearing the sound of there voice, and HUGGING :( . Perhaps a holiday yes not permanent though, just a recharging, but i say that and have said it before but it doesn't seem to happen for long and i go marching back out into the streets by myself, i can do that but again i need the personal one on one or group therapy with other believers. I have found one guy recently but he is a mission in himself, he has a problem with alcohol which has been getting better since i have been associating with him sometimes and this other christian guy whom is supporting me to mission this guy a little but not enough, i need my one on one time with this christian brother and i don't get it enough. <sighs> The dam walls will burst soon and the river will run again, i just don't know when and i hope it doesn't cause ruin, a dam should be released slowly over time but i am full to overflowing. A priest told me i have what is called superman complex, i try and do to much, perhaps the good Lord Just wills me to do a little and not a lot until i can find that support from other brethren on the regular. 

 

But also anneline i think blood may be thicker than water to some degree but even than i won't sacrifice my salvation even for them. I have about 3 water missions going at present and 4 blood missions, and it has been a long time, i am thinking i will have to cut off 1 or 2 of the waters that have been long term missions and i have already temporarily cut of one blood, 1 of the waters has been about 4 years the other 2 or 3 , or something like that anyway, one of them i have already pulled away from for about 3 months since starting a.a to maintain my own salvation. I think God is telling me something i am about 3 months sober and still sick as a mangy mutt, and i'm thinking it's because God is telling me to start looking for other trees to water, trim and fertilize that i have done my best and he will take it from here, perhaps even he want's me to have a holiday from gardening for a while to regain my strength in him.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

But with the whole blood mission Jesus also said something like " he who loves his mother and father more than me is not worthy of me."  Not that i'm called to be a priest particularly although i'm thinking about it recently the point is Jesus also said " better to go into heaven with half your body than into hell whole." whether blood or water i guess, no fruit no salad, no salad than the wedding feast is incomplete, lol. That's my opinion, but as you have said anne line with the whole spring thing about plants that you had given up on and left to fend for themselves suddenly coming alive in the spring time, this is a very hopeful scenario, what you have said here has helped me dearly because i have abandonment issues and can't leave well enough alone so to speak, i know that isn't quiet what the saying means but whether well enough alone or don't make worse things worse perhaps is a better analogy.

[AnneLine]

Talk to Jesus about it, Tab.   You may well have done what you can done, and now you need to let Him take it over.

 

One of the hardest things, I think, is to move on when a mission looks unfinished... but sometimes the person who does the planting is NOT the same person who does the harvesting.  You may have done what you are to do....

 

I will keep praying for you.

 

It is not selfish to say, I have done what I can done, and now I need to move on.