The Master Has Need of It

by Maria Gehl, writing prior to moving with her husband and children to Big Woods for Intake 2016.

Now that we are committed to Family Missions Company, we have spent the past few weeks working on purging possessions, preparing a garage sale, and preparing to sell the house. I have to be honest: sorting all the possessions for a family of 7 into take, store, sell, donate, and trash piles is nothing short of overwhelming. It isn’t so much the lifting and moving of boxes as much as letting go of the security and comforts of the stuff we keep. We keep a storage room full of hand me downs for the kids because then we know they will always have more than enough clothes. We keep a closet full of games because then we know we will never be bored (hypothetically speaking). We have a kitchen full of more pots and pans than we could use in one meal because we are sure to have the perfect tool to use with the recipe we are trying. You get the picture.

On Palm Sunday one of the readings at Mass was Luke 19:28-40. There is one simple line in this story that has directed my heart through the current phase in our journey toward missions. This reading tells the story of Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where he rode on a colt and everyone waved palm branches, laid down their cloaks, and proclaimed Him as King. Before he rode into the city, Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him to get a colt. On His instruction they went into the city and when the unsuspecting owner of the colt saw the disciples untying it, the owner asked for an explanation. Their simple answer: “The Master has need of it.” The owner could have said, “No.” He could have asked, “Why?” He could have given a “Yes…but as long as it is returned.” He could have insisted on taking the colt to Jesus himself. But because the owner said yes and let go of what would have made complete sense to hold onto, he got to be a part of bringing Christ’s kingdom and glory to Jerusalem. Simply by letting go he helped carry Christ to the people who needed a Savior. He brought Christ closer to the place the world gets to see Love and Mercy poured out.

That simple line – “The Master has need of it” – has played over and over in my heart since then. Every time I waver over the keep or purge piles in the basement I am reminded that I have no idea what the Lord plans on doing with everything we are letting go of, but I trust that every time we let go, we are giving Jesus a chance to show His glory. It could be that He will simply use what we let go of to be a blessing in someone else’s life, but I suspect it is more than that. As we let go of everything that ties our hearts down, everything that keeps us bound to one place, we can be free to carry Christ himself to those who need Him. We can be the ones to carry Love and Mercy Himself if we are willing to trust His plan and let go. So what does the Master need? He needs my heart, unbound and ready to embrace Him. I know the Lord has an amazing plan, and it is nothing short of a miracle that this crazy family gets to be a part of it! I can only begin to imagine where the Lord plans on asking us to carry Him, and who we will be carrying Him to! Praise God!