It’s easy to get caught up in all the bad things that happen to us and forget that we have other experiences that make up our lives. As a missionary kid, it’s easy for me to wonder what the point of my life is. I don’t have a cool job flying airplanes or translating the Bible like so many of the adults around me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not making a difference.

Maybe the ways I’m affecting people aren’t as big and grand as “real” missionaries, but God still has a plan for my life. If I’m devoted to learning about him and to acting out his will for me, then I’m being a missionary in my own right. Maybe I’m not saving people’s lives with medevacs, but I’m still able to say a kind word to someone at the store, or hang out with a little kid on the street and give smiles to people that need them. It’s the kind of missionary work that everyone can do.

Right now my “job” is being a student, which means studying math and history and all those other subjects, and not having a lot of free time to myself or to spend with other people. But that doesn’t mean I can’t use what little time I do have to bless others, to care for others, and to make a small difference. I need to forget the few times when I feel frustrated or sad, and focus on all the ways God has blessed me. If I remember God’s goodness it will help me to share it with others, and make a difference in their lives for Christ’s sake, which is my ultimate goal.