Most people see school as a place to kill time until the afternoon when they're free to have fun with friends or watch TV. Some see it as just a place where teachers try to cram all of this information into your head that you think you'll never use again. But maybe school can be more than that. Maybe school is a mission field that can be used to reach out to others and show them the never-ending love of God.

Other than sleep, school takes up the majority of a student's day. Most students are at school for at least seven or eight hours. That's a big chunk of time to be in one location for nine months out of the year with the same people every single day. A lot can happen in someone's life over the course of nine months. But, as in most cases, we are often too self-centered to notice that other individuals walk the planet, too. People are stereotyped and labeled under categories that are mostly untrue. But for some reason, most of us still stick to our own groups in our own little worlds and aren't concerned about the needs of those around us.

But what if you did something different? What if you decided to make a change?

What if instead of gossiping about the awkward girl in school, you stood up for her? What if you offered your pencil to someone who needed it? What if you showed the new girl around instead of letting her lose her way? Or what if you just said hello to someone who's hardly ever spoken to? And what if it changed their world?

Little acts of kindness can make a big difference in someone's life, especially someone who's having a horrible day. And the more little acts of kindness you do, the more courage you'll build up to do greater acts of kindness. If we girls would look at school as a mission field where we can show love to others, then more opportunities to show Christ's love will come up. If you're in tune with the Spirit and your eyes are focused on Him, you will be able to see little ways to love on other students.

We don't always see the practical places like school as being a mission field because somehow we're under the impression that a mission field must be some foreign country that's poverty stricken and where no one knows Christ.

But a missionary is someone who is sent out to a location to help others and share what they believe. You don't have to be working in an orphanage in Africa or handing out food in Haiti. You can be right where you are, so let Christ use you to change a life, a school, or even the world. Remember, as it is written in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world...," so shine on!

Sarah Smith grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with an English degree. She loves being a child of God and serving in missions. She has gone on trips to Germany and London and served a recent term of five and half months in London as a missionary intern. She recently applied to seminary and is looking forward to attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall to study Christian Counseling.