Here's an article I wrote several years ago for Wesleyan World Missions Magazine. It was originally posted at: http://www2.wesleyan.org/gp/gp_online/World%20(Fall)%204-5.pdf

Perhaps our lives should not be measured by the number of years that we have accumulated, but by the events that have shaped us. Whether it has been learning to ride a bicycle, finally getting our driver’s license, voting for the first time, or attaining that high school diploma—we are the sum total of our experiences.

Would I be the same person if I had not spilled that bag of popcorn in front of my friends at the roller-skating rink? If I had not said “yes” to the chance to teach that Sunday school class when I was only in junior high—would I still be who I am today? Probably not. Standing on top of a table while fourth grade boys “marched around the walled city” not only taught them the story of Jericho, but it ignited in me a life-long passion for teaching. This may be starting to sound like a Star Trek time-travel episode, but the idea is that landmark events in our lives play a significant role in determining who we are, as well as who we will become.

I can think of many examples to illustrate this point—most from my own life. Though I was a good student in school, the events that shaped my life seldom happened in an academic setting. I think I was most changed through the short-term mission trips that I experienced. As a college senior, while perched on the roof of a house our team had just completed in Tijuana, Mexico, the Great Commission took on a whole new meaning. I had heard countless sermons and read the passage numerous times before. But this time, without words, God taught me what it meant to reach out and touch this world in His name.

It is nearly impossible for me to put into words how my life was transformed by saying “yes” to God and accepting the challenge to be a part of a mission team to Russia. Up to that point in my life, I had been comfortable in my spiritual journey, but God used those precious weeks to change me for all eternity. By going places and doing things I had never dreamed of before, God exploded my world view, redefined my self-image, and breathed new life into passion for ministry.

Clearly, I am not the only person who has been changed by following Jesus. All throughout the Scriptures we see how the lives of the disciples were turned inside out through their encounters with Christ. Jesus was a master at seizing the moment and presenting it to His listeners as a life-altering sermon illustration, just as He did when He confronted me with the Great Commission. As onlookers were awestruck by a miracle He had just performed, He would hammer in a truth that pierced them to the core. Don’t you think that when Jesus reviewed the “trust in Me” lesson after calming the storm, it hit a lot closer to home? Through all of these times, Jesus was doing an artisan’s job of shaping and molding.

Sometimes I think we overuse the word “discipleship” in the Church. It is not a mere class to take or a sermon series that is preached. It is a lifelong process in which we are molded into Christ-likeness, similar to His first twelve followers. They demonstrated their willingness to be shaped by Christ when they abandoned their nets and immediately followed Him. It shows great discipleship, great determination to become like Him, when we say, “Lord, I’m not sure where this will end up, but I’m willing to follow you wherever you want to take me.” Certainly, the disciples learned a great deal from Christ’s teachings, but the events that they were able to live and breathe simply because they agreed to follow Him changed them more radically than what they heard.

As we are moved out of our comfort zones, the places where we think we have everything under control, and are forced to trust in God, He is able to transform us to the extent that He would like. The question then remains— Are you willing to be changed by God? It is God’s desire that each of us continue on the journey of becoming more like Christ. Christ-likeness does not come through osmosis. Merely sitting in a pew on Sunday does not automatically turn us into saints, but following the plan that He has for our lives does. Our responsibility is to listen for His voice and to be obedient to His calling no matter where it takes us. As we follow the Master on this journey, the sights we see and the people we meet will change us forever. They will change us to be more like Him. This is your time. Will you allow Christ to change you by following Him wherever He leads?