“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate
with people of low position. Do not be
conceited.”
Romans 12:16
The other day in
discipleship class we got into a conversation about going back home to America and
what that would look like. We were
talking about all the different things we would have to take into consideration
and the list was endless. It seems that
we all have these fears about going back to a place that is so familiar. Some people are afraid of being sucked back
into their old habits that God has brought them out of; some people are afraid
of putting things into practice that they learned here; some people are afraid
of going home thinking they may not have changed at all; some people are afraid
of the things God will have them do when they get home; still others are afraid
to leave this amazing community of support. Whatever the reason is, it seems that everyone on this team is more
comfortable here in a foreign country than they are back home. I thought that to be very interesting and
have been spending a lot of thought on it the past few days. Why is it that we are all afraid to return to
a place that we know so well?
The first thought that
came to my mind was that it is harder to witness to people we know out of fear
of rejection, or humiliation, or failure. However, that answer did not seem to bring me peace about the
situation. So I decided to dig deeper
and really think about the differences of America
and Africa. I thought about scenery, living accommodations, material possessions,
government, environment, economy, situations, and then it hit me: PEOPLE. That was the major difference. I couldn’t believe that it took me so long to
realize that, but I am glad I did. I thought
about the interactions I have here in Swaziland with complete
strangers. How I can walk up to someone
on the street and begin a genuine conversation about that person’s life. How I can drive down a dirt road and wave at
every single person, male or female, adult or child, and they will wave back
with a huge joyful smile on their face. How I can walk up to a stranger’s home and they will invite me in to
know more about me and why I am in their community. How I can go to church on Sunday mornings and
feel more comfortable and at home, than I have ever in the US. Or how the very people that I have come to
minister to, seem to minister more to me and show me Jesus more than I could
have ever imagined. How can all these
scenarios be true in a place that I don’t know the culture, language, rules,
customs, government, and way of life? How can it be?
If you think about it, I
have lived in America
19 out of the 23 years of my life. I
could go to any state and fit in knowing the culture, language, and way of
life. I should be able to visit any
church in the US
and feel accepted and welcomed. I should
be able to drive through my neighborhood, where I have lived for the past 9
years, and wave at people and receive a friendly smile and wave back. However, none of that happens…how is it that
Americans have become so cold to human interactions? Do we forget that a simple smile can make
somebody’s day? How one minor act of
kindness could make a world of difference to a complete stranger? Are we really so caught up in ourselves and
our own lives that we really don’t care about the person walking down the
street beside us? Part of me doesn’t
want to return to America
because of these things…not because of the fears listed in the beginning of
this blog, but for the very reason that in large American’s no longer care
about each other. I know there are
wonderful, selfless people in America
who try to bring joy and love into a darkened place, despite the
unresponsiveness of everyone else, but is that enough? How did we get to this place and is it a
healthy place to be? I know Swaziland is a
lot less developed and has its own share of problems, but friendliness and
kindness towards fellow man is not one of them. If 80% of Americans claim to be Christians, than we are failing
miserably (I have no idea if that stat is true, I just know there is a large
majority that are.) Jesus’ number one
commandment is to love on another…that’s it, just love one another. Jesus doesn’t call us to see how much money we
can make before we die, or how many women/men we can sleep with, or how much we
can drink in one night, or how many people we can beat out with our high SAT
scores, or having the latest fashioned outfits, or living in the biggest house,
or driving the best car, or even spending hours at church…NO Jesus calls us to
love. I feel like it’s such a simple concept,
yet it is so hard to live out. Why is it
easier for non-Christians to love than it is for Christians? Why are the people in a country that is
destined for destruction so much kinder than the people in a country that has
everything? I honestly don’t have an
answer and that is what is killing me. I
feel like every time I avoid eye contact with someone or refuse to give them a
friendly wave I am failing God and letting him down. I don’t know about you, but that leaves me
with such a sickening feeling in my stomach.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his
life for us. And we ought to lay down
our lives for our brothers. If anyone has
material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how
can the love of God be in him? Dear
children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to
the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our
hearts condemn us. For God is greater
than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before
God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do
what pleases him. And this is his
command: to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and to love one
another as he commanded us. Those who
obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: we know it by the Spirit he
gave us.”
1 John 3:16-24
Please pray through
these verses with me…I think they are so strong and if we, as Christians, start
living this out, than we could seriously change the world. Ask the Lord to show you areas of your life
where you are too busy to say “hi” to a stranger and pray that he will give you
the opportunity to randomly show his love to someone you don’t know today!!
