Come and See
I love how Jesus answers questions with an invitation to do life. He could so easily have just answered the disciples by telling them the name of the place he was going, but instead he invited them to join him on the journey and figure out the answer along the way. This is called discipleship. This year I’ve been learning a lot about discipleship. Here are some of my takeaways.
Discipleship is often hard.
People don’t always respond well to discipleship moves. For those of us who live lives focused on ministry (and that should be all of us) discipleship invites people into a process that changes their life. Change is hard. Some people reject the offer. Jesus was often rejected. Life was hard. AND he didn’t quit. Discipleship calls us to hard things. Discipleship calls us to people. I literally just said to my husband – I don’t think I like people very much. Can you tell it’s been a rough week? Not a great attitude for someone to have who is focused on discipleship. I am weak! Don’t judge me…AND I’m learning to not be afraid to do hard things…most of the time J. Discipleship is often hard.
Discipleship requires an invitation.
We can’t disciple someone without inviting them into a process, into a journey. Discipleship isn’t a onetime lesson. It’s not a list of do’s and don’ts. Discipleship requires us to open up ourselves and invite others in. That requires us to love deeply, to take risks, to put ourselves out there, to be invested into others, to give up our own agendas, to give up our time, to focus on others, to create space that someone would want to enter into. All of it. Discipleship requires us to set the stage for an invitation. Jesus did that so well. He invited the disciples to join him. He invited others into conversations. He painted a picture of a story that made you want to respond. His life was and is an invitation.
Discipleship is rewarding when you least expect it.
I had two amazing things happen in the last two weeks that were direct results of discipleship. Not mine, but one of my co-workers. Our Transitional Living Director at Refuge for Women has been investing into the lives of her women but honestly, some of them have been rejecting her. They’ve not been comfortable with much needed correction. They’ve not enjoyed the feeling of having bad behavior called out and disciplined. So, they did what they knew to do – rejected the messenger. Have you ever been there? Rejected by the person you are trying to serve?
It hurts – point one, it makes discipleship hard.
You can’t force yourself on anyone – point two – they must accept your invitation.
Our Transitional Living Director didn’t stop loving her women – even in the face of the hard, the rejection or the refusal of the invitation. She showed up for them. She texted them. She emailed them. She called them. She continued to be present and make herself available. Fast forward four months. The women reached out to her because they needed someone to talk to and they knew, the Transitional Living Director would listen, would speak wisdom, would direct them to Jesus and would be present. One of them was celebrating her 30th birthday and the only person she wanted to spend it with was the Transitional Living Director. The other one needed a day to get away and the TLD is the person who took her on a six-hour hike to Valley of Fire. Smiles all around. The women knew they were cared for, loved and prayed over. The Transitional Living Director received a great reward – the joy of loving well, the blessing of being able to disciple others.
Discipleship – it’s what Jesus invites us into in the Come and See…
Come and see…
Embrace the hard.
Come and see…
Accept the invitation.
Come and see…
Get ready to see the blessings of God poured out and over your life.
We have an invitation to do life with the Master, an invitation to be discipled and to disciple others. Will you accept the invitation? It has your name on it.
Robin Smith has a passion for equipping people to see their strengths and to lead with their unique God given gifts. Robin has always had a strong tie to her church, community and work. That tie is in the form of relationships. Her greatest joy is to do life together, encouraging, strengthening and challenging each other to be their very best and reach their full potential. Robin has been the Program Director for Refuge for Women since February 2017. She has overseen all the operations of our safe house and spent her days inside the home building relationships with the residents and helping them not only see their potential, but overcome the obstacles standing in the way of them reaching their potential. For15 years, prior to coming to Refuge for Women, Robin worked in higher education, focusing on developing student leaders and equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in the pursuit of their education and careers. Prior to that, Robin was a Salvation Army officer and served in full time ministry in various locations throughout the Midwest. Robin’s focus was always serving, equipping and developing others. In 2006, the Lord began to work in Robin’s heart and plant a love for women who are trapped in the sex-industry. This passion was formed through Robin’s involvement with student mission trips to Las Vegas. In 2010, Robin began the Hearts for Jackson ministry in Jackson, Michigan reaching out to women who work in strip clubs. Robin’s heart was broken for these women and she started this ministry to bring them hope and love with a goal of showing the love of Jesus in a practical way. Each month, Robin led a group of women from her church into the strip clubs where they simply loved on the women. They brought them gifts, told them they were special & loved and offered a listening ear. Robin brings her heart and passion to Refuge for Women and is excited to be stepping into this new role of City Director where she will be partnering with the local churches, Las Vegas community, and most importantly, Jesus, in this crucial ministry. Robin and her husband Homer have been married for 33 years and currently reside in Henderson, NV. They attend the ChurchLV and they enjoy God’s creation by hiking, walking, or simply enjoying the sun with a good book. They have two children and three grandchildren. Robin holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Development, also from Spring Arbor University.