I think the answer to C.J.'s question is obvious, but it's also important to really consider what I represent when I travel.
First, a few words that represent some positive stereotypes or traits of North Americans:
friendly - outgoing - hardworking - generous - well-educated - reliable - confident
This list is far from exhaustive, and any given day might produce a different set of adjectives - but the attributes above sound great and make me proud to be an American!
There are also not-so-positive stereotypes attached to North Americans:
materialistic - wasteful - domineering - arrogant - disrespectful of authority - corrupt
Personally, I don't like reading those words, much less taking time to consider how well or how often they might describe my own attitudes and lifestyle. My past travels have mostly occurred in Western Europe, so my global perspective is limited and I don't have a broad sense of what people expect from Americans. If these stereotypes are accurate, they come from a darker side of our culture. They come from sinful patterns through the years. This is an opportune time to look deeper within myself and examine whether my life is influenced by some of these negative traits.
Much of the success of fitting in and serving those in the Ugandan culture will be related to how I deal with these negative stereotypes. As I accept and grapple with these harmful traits, as a Christian, there is good news... I do have the power (through Christ) not to be controlled by them.
I know (I really, really know) that God is in the business of transforming our lives as we give ourselves to Him. In Romans 12:2, Paul pleads with Christians not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Help and encouragement can be found in a powerful passage in Phillipians:
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.Philippians 3:7-21
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
If I desire to become everything God wants me to be, what encouragement can I find in Phillipians 3:12-16?
Sometimes trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves me drained and discouraged. I may even feel so far from perfect that I can't imagine ever pleasing God with my life. Paul** intended "perfect" to mean mature or complete, not flawless in every detail. Those who are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit's power, knowing that Christ will reveal and fill in any discrepancy between what I am and what I should be. Christ's provision is no excuse for lagging devotion, but it provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven.
** Paul really knew what it meant to be imperfect and to struggle with a burden of guilt followed by the renewal and peace that comes with accepting forgiveness and allowing Christ to bear our burdens. Paul has reason to forget what was behind - he had held the coats of the those who stoned Stephen. I have done things for which I am ashamed, and I live in the tension of what I have been and what I want to be. Because my hope is in Christ, however, today I will profess His promises for me. I can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help me become. I will not dwell on my past. Instead I will grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on my relationship with him now. I will move on to a life of faith and obedience, and I will look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life afforded to me by my hope in Christ.
In Phillipians 3:18-19 we read that some have their minds saturated with the attitudes and values of today's culture. Yet verses 20-21 remind us that as Christians, our citizenship is in heaven. What does that mean to me personally?
As I understand it, there was a group of "Judaizers". These Jewish Christians believed that it was essential for Geniles to follow all the Old Testament laws. They looked at Christianity backwards - thinking that what they did made them believers rather than the free gift of grace given by Christ. [I, on many a day, have been guilty of this backward thinking. I find myself trying to EARN God's grace, when it's an impossible feat.]
Paul criticized not only this group of believers who continued to try and earn grace, but also the self-indulgent Christians, people who claim to be Christians but don't live up to Christ's model of servanthood and self-sacrifice. These people satisfy their own desires before even thinking about the needs of others. Freedom in Christ does not mean freedom to be selfish. It means taking every opportunity to serve and to become the best person you can be.
Lord, Thank you for pouring your PERFECT love onto my heart and life. I have allowed certain aspects of my culture to influence the decisions I make, the way I spend my time, and how I view your people that reside in other places. Please forgive me. I am SO looking forward to sharing Your love and light, and to reshaping any negative stereotypes that might exist in the homes and facilities that I will visit. Please let this week be a week of transparency - that I might see the dark spots in my heart and mind that would prevent me from sharing Your word in the way you desire. Prepare my heart, oh Lord!
In your Precious Son's name, Amen.
Love,
MaryAnn
No comments:
Post a Comment