is this blog about the southeast Asian delicacy beloot (an 18 day-old duck egg that i ate and threw up all over the place- sickest thing ever)? Or is it about the fried tarantula that i couldn’t pull myself to swallow? Or the fried frog legs that were actually pretty good? Or about these tongues at the local market?
No, but it is about something much more gross than strange foods.
Cambodia has been a shock to my system. I don’t even know how to process what I’ve
been going through this month. This is a dark
place, the darkest place, for sure, that I have ever been. Spiritually, morally, politically, this
country is hurting. The landscape is one
of corruption, sex-trafficking, prostitution, poverty, and an overwhelming
absence of the gospel.
The nation is predominantly Buddhist (and mostly nominal,
kinda like us), with probably less than one percent as true Christian
believers. Monks, wearing orange togas and carrying
orange umbrellas, walk the streets and often beg for money. Altars are placed outside most businesses,
usually burning with incense or displaying food sacrificed.
On one of our first days here in Cambodia, we took a trip to visit a main temple in the capitol city. Surrounded by statues of Buddha-like figures and
other creatures, the temple was raised high above level ground. One must ascend the long brick stairs for
worship. Inside were golden statues,
several candles, incense burning, and what seemed to be a large collection of
trinkets. Amidst this a few Khmer locals
were worshiping. It was a bizarre blend
of tourism and spirituality.
I was already struggling with the darkness I felt in the
county, and coming here to the temple only amplified those feelings. I began a rather intense internal
conversation with myself and with God.
I was
standing there, in a moment of bewilderment, observing these people worshiping.
There was anger in my heart. A
good sort of anger though, that the Name of Christ was being defiled. That these people were missing the true path of peace and giving themselves to worthless idols. How deceived they are to think these things get them any closer to God?
I said to myself, “This is an absolute abomination.�
I think that’s the first time I’ve ever even said that.
Then it was if I heard God saying, “Don’t
even begin to raise yourself up in your own eyes.
I have you here not just to shed light on Buddhism, but to show you more clearly how i view the sin in your own life.”
There was this tangible reality of seeing the temple with my eyes, and to touch it with my hands. I’ve heard of these things,
but now my eyes have seen.
I could hear
again, “Matthew, the feeling you are having about this temple, that is how I see your pride and self-righteousness.�
I was humbled. I’m a sinner
in need of and saved by grace. I’m no better than any of these people. I daily
sacrifice at my own altars of comfort, money, man, and self… all of which are
absolutely abominable in the sight of God.
So looking at this temple, i ask myself, “Is that really inside me?”
The reply is a sobering, “Yes”.
But seeing my sin… may it always lead me to see my Savior!
“What a wretched man I am?
Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our
Lord.� -Rom 7:24
