Brokenness: Missions Life Under Pressure

It was just a bubble. An ever so small bubble of water on the copper pipe. It slid down the pipe with no urgency. A brief wipe with the hand swept it away. Slowly, another bubble emerged from the solder joint. It was just moisture. It couldn’t be classified as a leak, just moisture on the pipe, I reasoned. A few more insignificant drops appeared and dried up. Time passed. My attention turned to other things. I forgot about the bubbles. Then, one day a sound caught my attention, the hissing sound of water spraying. The small bubble had burst into a full-fledged leak! I grabbed buckets, plastic cover, and rags, and ran for the shut-off valve.

In life as well, it is often the “hidden” things that burst out later with destructive results. We might be tempted to “forget the bubbles”—our minor faults—when they don’t seem to be causing any harm. However, a defective solder joint is revealed under pressure. Missionary life is characterized by stress and pressure. Hidden faults that went undetected in a previously “more normal” life become evident in the stress of cross-cultural ministry.

There is hope. A defective solder joint can be repaired as it undergoes heat, breaking open, and renewal. There is hope for our lives as well as we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God for his renewal in us.

Scripture References: Nu 32:23; Job 6:24; Ps 19:12; 40:12; 51:6,10; 90:8; 139:1-4; Pr 5:21; Isa 59:2; Eze 11:19; Joh 15:2; 2Co 5:17; Ga 6:1-10