This Perspective Needed!

John Piper writes on the Desiring God blog

Karen Watson wrote her own epitaph. Its message has stirred me up to pray for more radical devotion to Christ. She has not died in vain. She was a Southern Baptist missionary to Iraq and was killed by unknown assailants March 15, 2004. I am mentioning it now simply because I was reading the book Lives Given, Not Taken: 21st Century Southern Baptist Martyrs, by Erich Bridges and Jerry Rankin. In it I ran across the letter that Karen wrote and left behind in an envelope that said "Open in case of death."
It said in part:

Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger,
You should only be opening this in the event of death.
When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations.
I wasn't called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward . . .
The missionary heart:
Cares more than some think is wise
Risks more that some think is safe
Dreams more than some think is practical
Expects more than some think is possible.
I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience. . . .
There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him.
I love you two and my church family.

In His care,
Salaam,
Karen


How much I need to see this, hear this and believe this in the fight of faith. How great a perspective is this that we can treasure Christ more that stuff, and abundance and the "American" lifestyle and keep faith in lack and suffering and in places that are hard.
A perspective that we would see something more valuable than life itself and the pursiut of so much temporal gain that will soon be gone.
That we would see Christ and know that there is truly no joy outside of serving Him. Praying that I can live this way whether in Iraq or Minneapolis.