“You’re sacrificing so much to live here. I don’t understand.” 

A national friend of mine said this to me recently. We were chatting and catching up on our families when it dawned on her how long we had lived here and how we had truly made this country our home. That’s when she made this statement about sacrifice. In her own life, she had spent some time working in the States but moved back home to raise her family.  

Global workers often say we aren’t sacrificing anything because the reward for doing this work far outweighs anything this world can offer. But, honestly, I appreciated her recognition of the cost of living abroad, far from family and all things familiar. I pray it impacts her thinking and helps draw her into a living faith in Jesus Christ alone. If anything, she at least knows that my faith is very real and true in my life, worth sacrificing comforts and security in this world.  

Just as I told my friend, I write here now that no sacrifice could keep me from what I feel so deeply called to do. Is it hard living so far from family, watching my children grow up in two worlds, constantly processing my speech through a different cultural lens? Yes, of course it is! But just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it is wrong or bad. It doesn’t mean I misunderstood my calling or that it’s time to pack up and head home. 

The sacrifices and challenges of this global life give me the opportunity to grow in my faith, depend on my Father, and draw near to the love of my Savior. Every difficulty is welcomed if it brings me closer to Jesus. So when I read quotes by global workers such as David Livingstone’s statement, “I never made a sacrifice,” I can find comfort in it and wholeheartedly agree with it. Because if we are gaining the Kingdom of God, what in the world are we actually losing?