November 22, 2016. Another day that I count as a favorite.
The speaking room is filled with about 15 people. 15 people that represent different cultures. Different nationalities. Different religions. Different beliefs.
These people have become my dear friends. Some young, some my peers, and some older.
A woman brought up the topic of culture shock and asked if I’ve ever experienced it. To be honest I had to tell her I sincerely haven’t. I’ve been traveling the world since I was a couple of months old. So, nothing has shocked me to this point. I told her I don’t see other cultures as “different” or “unusual.” I said I see them as beautiful in their own way, each having something insightful to offer. So I even desire to take a piece of that along with me to the next.
She began to ask how I felt about food around the world and if the race has caused me to crave foods back home. I began to tell her a little bit about my experience month 2. We were in Swazi and food had to be spread amongst 60 people. So, I was hungry a lot. My prime focus became fixed on when I would eat next. So, I took my watch off of my wrist and wrote “Matthew 5:6” every day.
“What does Matthew 5:6 say?”
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Then turns one of my dear friends who practices the Buddhist religion. He’s in the conversation rooms daily. He asked if I had a Bible, but with restrictions this month I only had my phone in the room with me. So I opened up the YouVersion app so he could see. My teammate actually had her bible and offered it, and he opened its pages with much curiosity in his face. He’s heard of the Bible, but would never read one.
Then began the questions with curiosity and wonder:
“What happens when you finish the Bible?”
“Who was Moses?”
“What does this verse mean?”
“What about this one?”
We moved to a more quiet room to discuss the beautiful questions he had.
He opens up his laptop and shows to me a picture that represents his faith.
The earth. Wrapped in chains. To the side of the world a Buddha standing next to it with his back to the world.
“What does this one mean?” I asked
“Well,” he began, “in my faith, chains = sins. We believe in reincarnation, so the more chains you have, the more times you are reincarnated on earth, but one day, when all the chains are broken, we will have a final destination. We have to break our own chains. And reincarnation is more chances to break our chains by inner strength. We can look to Buddha for a reminder of self-guidance, but Buddha cannot help us because it wouldn’t be fair for Buddha to help one and not another. So we help ourselves. We can pray to Buddha for meditation, to focus and be like him, but it’s from within that we are saved.”
As I look at that picture, Buddha’s back to the world covered in chains, my heart is pounding.
… but God.
God does not turn His back on us. No, He SENT His Son INTO the world to break chains. While my friend longs for more time on earth for more chances to break his own chains, God gives us those never ending chances and it’s called GRACE. While my friend can’t call on Buddha for help and has to look upon a statue or a picture to be reminded of inner strength, God gives us the opportunity to call on Jesus! He’s alive! He comes! He hears! And our strength comes not from within our flesh, but from our Savior who is the strength of the world.
The song comes to my mind – “I hear the chains falling.”
My heart breaks looking at the photo of chains around the world. People thinking they have to break those chains themselves.
But God. For God so loved that He sent His son. To give us an opportunity to walk in freedom. Chains falling.
I shared this with my dear friend. His response – “but isn’t it hard to give your life to God?”
I said, “the opportunity is there – for everyone. It’s like having this pen right in front of you. *places pen on the table in front* It’s right there. He’s not teasing you with it. He’s not hiding it. We just have to reach and grab it. It’s right there.
The simple reaching isn’t the hard part for humans, it is the letting go of control. It is the dying to self. It is admitting that we need a savior. It is putting our trust in something other than ourselves. That, my friend, is what is hard for humans.
Our human desire from the very beginning was to choose independence. And as a loving God, He gives us a choice. Love is not forceful, and we chose separation. But because of His vast love, He sent His Son to break those chains. To give us a choice and to break the chain of separation. To offer relationship to us.
And He’s right there waiting for us to reach and grab.”
My friend had to leave shortly after, but the words he spoke before walking out the door were this:
“I want to do more research on Jesus. I will come back with more questions tomorrow.”
Then something incredible happened.
The next day, he came back telling instead of asking.
He walked out the door one day wanting to do more research on Jesus, and came back the next day proclaiming.
He was telling another local about the goodness of Jesus right in the conversation room!
Y’all, that was God. Hearts are being opened and God is breaking down walls in this closed city and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Chains are being broken!
