International Day

I love living abroad.  One of my favorite things about it is the chance to meet so many people from around the world.  Making friends who speak different languages, eat different foods, have different habits, and different ideas is fascinating.  It makes you stop and re-examine why it is that you do things a certain way.  It helps you recognize that some of the things you call normal behavior aren't normal at all to someone else. This week at our school we are celebrating international day.  A chance for all of our students from different countries and cultures to share the costumes, foods, and customs of their home with the rest of the group.  It was exciting to see what the different kids have to offer.

We had a wonderful day today trying different foods, learning new songs, dances, and games, making fun crafts, and coming to understand a little more about the diversity in the world.  It was a treat to see the students light up as they came dressed in their countries costumes and were free to express a little more about themselves and their way of life.  The performances and presentations helped you to appreciate the diverse ways that we all see the world; the legends of each culture that have shaped their past, the differing types of art and craft work that are considered beautiful, the varying kinds of music and dance that bring a group of people to life.  God certainly showed his creativity when He made us all because the world is a colorful place.

One of the amazing things about culture, is how deeply it affects us without our knowledge.  There are certain values we come to hold closely, certain ideas that ring as true, and certain life patterns that we are driven to pursue without even realizing why.  That isn't always a bad thing, but the problem comes when the values of the culture that we hold dear, push us in the opposite direction from the truth.  This week I sat with a friend and we talked, and cried, and prayed together over this very idea.  The demands of her culture are pushing her in a direction that is directly opposite to the truth of His word. She recognizes the difference and desires to do what's right, but she is so tired of pushing against the tide of the world around her.  Everyone from her world is encouraging her to stop fighting the inevitable and to simply blend into the crowd and follow the cultural norms.  I am the lone voice in her life that is encouraging her to block out the raging crowd, and listen for the still small voice of the one who loves her most.  To listen to that voice will cost her dearly.  I don't have the right to ask it of her.  Her life and my life are separated by language, by culture, by nationality, by social status.  She tells me that I can't fully understand the choices she has to make.  She is right.  I am as bound as she is by my own cultural upbringing.  But different though we may be, we are tied tightly together by the one who loves us.  His words ring true across barriers of time, age, language, gender, and culture.  He is able to sustain her even though her path is hard.  And so I wait, and pray, and gently encourage as I watch her engage in a battle for her heart.  We that believe, are always engage in that battle, for we are called to be in the world but not of the world.  We must live as pilgrims and strangers on the earth.  I guess that's why living abroad is something I've come to love.  It's a constant reminder that I'm not at home yet.