What does it look like for a Christian woman to be mission-minded? What are the obstacles that keep us from being on mission?

Proverbs describes the woman who fears the Lord like this: “She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy” (Prov. 31:20).

She opens her hand to the poor. She is “on mission.”

What does it mean that she is “on mission”? It means she is aware of the power of the gospel to change lives in her community. She knows that even the smallest actions can demonstrate the grace and mercy of God. With careful attention to her household, her heart overflows out of her house as she responds to the needs in her community. She reaches out to the marginalized. Why is she paying attention to poor strangers? She serves them because she sees people rightly—as image-bearers of God.

On mission

When you are out in your community, what is your heart’s response when you observe the poor? Compassionate? Desensitized? Numb? Prompted by love, we can truly help others know God—by serving and responding to needs. Are you regularly learning what needs there are?

When we respond “on mission” in our community, we are modeling to our children compassion, service, and ultimately the power of the gospel to change lives. We are showing them how being loved by Jesus compels and enables us to love others.

There are three tendencies that can sometimes keep us from truly being mission-minded: disordered priorities, fear of man, and religious actions.

Disordered priorities

Sometimes, we try so hard to be mission-minded, we neglect our primary mission: our own family. We fulfill requests for help by compromising our time with our families. We might deliver amazing meals for others while feeding our husband and kids cold cereal for dinner. We may spend all day with a woman who needs encouragement, when our children are aching for encouragement from their own mom. If we are “on mission” and are sharing the gospel with our neighbors, we need to honestly consider if we are giving the gospel to our family members first.

Sometimes, we try so hard to be mission-minded, we neglect our primary mission: our own family.

Being on mission is always sacrificial; something has to flex so that we can give our time or treasure to others. Therefore, our heart’s priorities need careful prayer and discernment as we pursue living “on mission.”

Fear of man

Fear of man—instead of fear of the Lord—can motivate us to serve others: to impress them with great food, compassion, or just consistent love. People-pleasing isn’t loving others: it is loving ourselves. If what we get out of giving is gratitude from others, it can easily be a cyclical motivation. Wanting praise and appreciation from others can tempt us to keep giving, because

we like how we feel about ourselves when we hear their praise. In this case, giving can become selfish, not worshipful. We can forget that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Religious actions

Sometimes, our acts of service are humble, quiet, and honoring to God. For me, there is often a temptation to proclaim my good deed, wanting to be seen or appreciated. But trumpeting our kindness screams religious pride and overlooks the mercy of God. We steal glory when we announce the mercy we have given, when, in fact, it is God’s mercy flowing through us.

People-pleasing isn’t loving others: it is loving ourselves.

Jesus reminds us about the danger of doing good in order to be seen:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But, when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving maybe in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matt. 6:1–4)

Being on mission to share Christ’s love is an honor and gift. It’s truly more blessed to give than to receive, and doing so brings sweet worship. Fear of the Lord motivates me to be prayerful and ready when there is a need. My aim isn’t to get others’ approval or to look righteous, but rather, to have a humble, worshipful heart—because God’s grace makes it so.

Being loved by Jesus compels and enables us to love others.

As Dan Cruver writes, “Those who doubt God’s love for them will not mobilize for mission. Unless we know the Father delights in us even as he delights in Jesus, we will lack the emotional capacity necessary to resist complacency and actively engage in missional living. The only people who can truly turn their eyes outward in mission are those who knowingly live within and enjoy the loving gaze of their heavenly Father.”

Being on mission isn’t about our mission: it is about God’s mission. Our aim is to make his name great, and when we act, we are growing in worship.

When have you mixed your missional priorities? How can you seek to promote more awareness in your heart and family life of your community’s needs?

This post is adapted from Everyday Worship: Our Work, Heart, and Jesus by Trisha Wilkerson © 2013. Used by permission.