Voluntarily.

1 Corinthians 9:17 "If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me."

       I love how often Paul expresses his sincere desire to share the gospel with others. Its obvious to me that it consumes his life and it's what urges me to do the same. Before verse 17, Paul explains that he cannot legitimately boast in his ministry because it is what God has called Him to do. In this time of my life, I have a call from God to be faithful in this ministry, serving with Potter's Field and PFK. With many responsibilities, there is a lot of room for me to do things because I I know it's proper for me to accomplish them, but what good is it for me to work without doing it unto the Lord? No good. 
        The past few weeks I have felt constantly challenged by asking myself, "Out of what heart am I doing this for?" The challenge is to not look to myself to accomplish the mundane, but to look for the Lord for strength and to do it for His glory alone. Starting in the beginning of February I have been a teacher's assistant at Calvary Chapel Christian School, which has been incredible and very stretching all at the same time. Many tasks have been the same day after day, which makes me itch for something new and spontaneous. I have caught myself doing things to simply check them off the list, but this verse has changed a lot of my outlook. 
     When I think of volunteering I picture an offering of time and service. And if I cannot give an offering of my time to the Lord voluntarily, it will be worthless and I will never gain from those moments. It's a beautiful reminder to live as a sacrifice to my Savior regardless of what the day holds. Because at the end of the day, I am still able to look at the African sun and feel my heart grow bigger towards this country, these people, this church, this school, and my teammates. All of that is thanks to my Father in heaven, and I want to offer each day voluntarily, not out of obligation.