The more I travel.
The more I meet people.
The more I serve.
The more I realize how broken I am.
I chose to serve around the world because I thought that I had it better than most of the people we are assigned to serve. That I should give back and share my love & hope to people in need.
And in a sense, yes, I do have it better than a lot of people we’ve been serving this year.
However, I will have a choice to go back home and share in the comforts of the first world, while the people we serve do not.
But at the same time, I am also a broken person with my first world comforts. It might not be due to external circumstances but it can be due to internal brokenness.
I can be selfish.
I can be impatient.
I can be rude.
I can lack compassion.
I suck at being gentle.
I lack at having self-control.
And the list goes on…
This trip has taught me that we are all
broken people in need of God and in need of each other.
Every single one of us.
Yes, me the missionary from America.
Yes, the leaders who direct us in our host country.
Yes, the needy people we are serving.
We all sin. Every single day. Our sins might be different but we all do it. Externally or internally. Seen or unseen. Through our behavior, our thoughts, our words.
All sin is equal in God’s eyes.
All hurt is equal in God’s eyes.
In a sense it’s kinda cool, that we are all imperfect people. That we all, despite our nationality and cultures, gender, age group, experiences, etc., can all relate to each other somehow some way.
No one is better than anyone else.
No one is holier than anyone else.
No one can judge anyone else.
I’ve learned two major lessons on this crazy journey:
- We can all relate to anyone on this world because we’re all broken.
- It is important to be transparent & vulnerable with each other to heal from issues.
Because we are all broken and are God’s creations, we ought to be open with each other. Let others into our worlds; both our joys and our struggles.
It’s when we are transparent & vulnerable that we can feel more connected to people.
It’s when we are transparent & vulnerable that we can have genuine love, respect but most importantly have genuine empathy and compassion for others.
Having superficial relationships with people doesn’t get us anywhere. It doesn’t allow us to heal and be a better version of ourselves. And let’s face it, Facebook, IG & SnapChat friendships can only take you so far.
Let’s start having deep, honest and raw conversations about our lives. Go to a coffeeshop, go have dinner, go get frozen yogurt and talk about the things you love but also talk about the things that are eating you alive. The addictions you have. The anger you have. The envy you feel towards others. Whatever it is.
Talk to each other.
Actively listen to each other.
Forgive each other.
Encourage each other.
Advice each other.
Be intentional with each other.
Keep each other accountable.
By doing this we can break the chains of anxiety, anger, depression, binge eating and drinking, loneliness, low self-esteem, etc. These issues I see and hear about daily can decrease when we start being transparent & vulnerabile with one another.
It’s not easy, I know. I’m speaking to myself as well.
…but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Are you?
