I have finally been able to put a finger on one of the main things that had been bothering me for so long and draw a line between what I really should be offended by for Christ's sake and what I should choose to overlook. It is not so much the culture barriers and lack of cultural understanding that bother me, and it is not so much the silly comments that are often made. What has bothered me so much are the underlying attitudes of pride, of prejudice, of superiority, the lack of brotherhood, the lack of genuine love and friendship. There is a difference. This has been important for me to clear up in my heart because I don't want to and can't live my life bothered by cultural barriers that will forever exist. I really love and appreciate so many things of both of my two worlds, and I can't live life frustrated with the people in each of my worlds that don't understand and love my "other" life as I do. This is so freeing for me to realize because I don't want to be over-sensitive and easily offended towards people whose hearts are truly pure. At the same time, I am more convinced than ever that I am called to be a bridge between these cultures. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit give me great wisdom to discern evil attitudes that creep into the body of Christ and bring division and destruction to believers from different cultures. My prayer is that He would use my life and my mouth as His instrument to speak His truth into these situations if He wills to do so. The truth is that these evil attitude do exist. It is so easy for all of us to let sinful little attitudes of pride creep into our hearts. I think we all fall into that at least at one time or another.
Another thing that I am realizing more and more is to guard from stereotypes. We forget so often that within a culture are so many different individuals, with so many different backgrounds and so many different hearts. It is so easy to group everyone in the same category without truly getting to know a person's heart and life. I have thought of a lot about two different conversations I had recently with two different Honduran brothers in Christ (at completely different times) who expressed to me how frustrating it is for them to feel that so many of the American people they know think that Hondurans are out to get their money and take advantage of them. Maybe they have been unjustly judged at some point. There certainly are people in Honduras who have taken advantage of Americans, but we need to give people the benefit of the doubt and not judge innocent people based on a negative experience with a completely different person. I am sure that we have all been stereo-typed at one time or another. It really doesn't feel very good. Ha ha-here is a funny story: Somebody here in Honduras made a comment to Marvin before we got married wondering if he liked sandwiches because that was all he would be eating once he married an American. Oh please! Sandwiches are not all that we eat in the US. (-;
To conclude, despite all of my convictions on this subject, I am once more reminded that our main culture and identity should be our Jesus culture and identity. Heaven is our true home and the place where believers will one day all be one in Him without all the barriers we deal with. We can spend our lives speculating about how to act and how to to deal with one another, but our guide should truly be the Word of our Living God. That is the only standard we can and should be living by. How does God interact with the different nations of the world? The stumbling block we should cling to is that of the cross. The message of the gospel should never be softened to meet someone's cultural appeal. The gospel applies and is salvation to every nation of the world, and the Word of God is a guide for every culture of the world to follow. I pray we will learn to truly take on the culture and the heart of God. Someday we will. The more we become like Him and understand His heart for the nations, the more we will learn to look at others through His eyes and love others with His heart and the more these cultural barriers will disappear...
Thank you, Sharon, for these insights.
ResponderEliminar"'Beloved we are God's children now' (1 Jn. 3:2). In our new identity, we no longer identify ourselves by our nationality, gender, denomination, or economic status because 'Christ is all, and in all' (Col. 3:11). This radical adoption tears down all the barriers that once separated brother and sister and makes us all one in him, 'for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God....There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Gal. 3:26, 28)." -Elyse Fitzpatrick
I love these posts about your experience with living between two worlds-- your insights are so encouraging! I hope you keep posting about it! :)
ResponderEliminarSharon, what a great journey God is taking you on! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. It's not easy being a bridge between two cultures but I know that God has a purpose in it for us! Love ya
ResponderEliminar