Overcoming Barriers to Fulfill the Call
Hear from IM missionaries as they share their stories about the variety of ways they have each overcome different barriers to fulfill their call to the mission field. How is God calling you to take the Gospel to the nations or to those around you?
Tyler Justice shares the story of his call to missions and how he has overcome the barrier of going to the field as a single.
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, “Paul says it’s easier to be single!” I think I would be fully funded about 2.5 times over. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the encouragement. It just always seemed to come from married people and not always what I want to hear, you know?
I believe what Paul is saying and I believe he means it. Marriage is hard (or so I’ve been told). All my focus can be on the ministry I will be a part of.
Knowing this didn’t take away the desire I had of wanting a wife though. I thought you were supposed to just walk out of college with a degree and a wife. Why did I get short-changed? Did God forget me? I had made the decision pretty early on that being single wasn’t going to stop me from going to France, but I couldn’t get some of those thoughts out of my mind. It was making the trips to churches lonely, every conversation asking if I had a “special someone” harder. I wasn’t mad at the people asking. I just didn’t want the reminder that I was all alone on this journey.
The subject I preached on the most while fundraising was the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12. I would talk about how God has given us special gifts and passions to work within His plan. In verse 18 it says, “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” In the KJV it says, “as it has pleased Him”. This is my favorite part of this chapter! God has given us these gifts, put us within His plan, and He is happy with it! It gives me all the confidence in the world as I go as a part of this team and do what I love while sharing the Gospel with people.
I was fully convinced of this, but at the same time thinking God somehow messed up in the love life department. I was thinking I had to go out of my way to make something happen. And to everyone’s surprise, that wasn’t working. Until one day it just kind of clicked.
I couldn’t tell you where I was and what I was doing. But suddenly, I realized how I had been thinking during this whole process. If I truly believe God has a plan for my career path but doesn’t have a plan regarding if I am single or married, I’m saying God doesn’t have complete control over my life. Did I really think God was sitting there going, “Yeah, Tyler, I’m going to give you a love for media, a love for basketball, and a heart for the French people? On top of that, I’m going to give you an opportunity to work in those areas all at once. Now go.”
“WAIT, I forgot to give you a wife.”
Not a chance! When I look back on my life, He provided a clear path that led me to becoming a missionary so He can do it for the rest of my life as well. I’m okay in my singleness, not because I magically don’t want a wife now, but because I know I am not alone on this journey.
