What I’m about to write it something that has weighed a bit heavily on my heart for quite some time now.
There was a voice in me that said, “Your cultural upbringing matters. Your Asian-ness matters. Your Korean-ness matters. It affects that way you contribute to the Kingdom and it informs what you bring to and take from the table. Your experiences are valuable and worth sharing. You’re not alone.”
But that voice was silenced and pushed aside by the voice that said, “You’re alone. You’re such a minority; who’s going to care? Nobody will understand. How can they? They haven’t been through it. You’re just obsessing way too much over this cultural thing. Your identity is in Jesus, not in your culture.”
Then I realized it’s not about getting people to understand my point of view. It’s about getting people to know the heart of Jesus. And simply put, that first voice in my head was Jesus and the second was not. To the second voice, I’ll just say, “Yes, BUT…”
Yes, I might be one of the only Asians in the Gainesville AIM community. Yes, I’m different but that’s all the more reason that people who aren’t the minority need to hear my voice. They won’t know and won’t begin to understand without perspective from someone who is. Graciously ask, graciously listen, and graciously share. And this is key: I can’t expect someone to step into my shoes without first taking mine off. And while mine are off, I definitely want to try theirs on! Understanding is best done mutually.
Yes, my identity is in Jesus; I am a beloved daughter. But He has created every physical, cultural, emotional, spiritual part of me. Therefore, my ethnicity and appearance and cultural background do play a part in my unique, God-given identity.
As a daughter, I am designed with intentionality and purpose. Everything about me has a purpose and can be used for loving and building the Kingdom. Whether constant or temporary, every part is something for which to give thanks and from which to learn.
And I’d like to draw a distinction between purpose and definition. Seeing purpose in something does not mean you have to let it define you. Too often, though, our thoughts and actions imply that we’ve made that assumption.
I realize that we should not hide behind these non-spiritual aspects of who we are to justify our spiritual identities or excuse our ungodly actions. But we also should not hide the aspects themselves if they have played a role in our understanding of Jesus.
i.e. Colorblindness and complacent ignorance are not the answer. Pretending that we’re not different is not the answer. Maybe seeing that it’s a treasure, a precious gift from the Lord will make us less likely to sweep it away.
It’s a perspective shift.
Why do we want to avoid things? Because we see them as problematic, shameful, or unimportant.
But if we see them as gifts, would we want to sweep gems under a rug?
I would love to see Kingdom culture as a more all-encompassing term. It’s not just about honest feedback, listening prayer, free worship, prophecy, spiritual gifts, etc. It’s about recognizing every part of what forms someone and using those things to multiply the Kingdom and unify the body of Christ. It’s about seeing culture, personality, physique, upbringing, etc. as lenses through which to perceive and convey the gospel. If we’re truly concerned about both conveying the gospel in an understandable way and about celebrating the body, we can each humble ourselves to meet others where they are. And I don’t think this is a matter of interest; just as none of us believers are exempt from humility, we’re not exempt from this willingness to holistically understand each other.
I believe that if it matters to us, it matters to Jesus. I believe that if it has shaped you or affected you, it is inextricably tied to how you relate and become a part of the bigger Kingdom picture. There’s potential for others to grow because of who you are. There’s even potential for others to know Jesus because of your willingness to cross barriers to understand them. But kicking potential off to reality only happens if we allow ourselves to exchange these gifts from God!
I love what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9 about his use of freedom:
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings.
So for the sake of the gospel and the body of Christ— who else wants to trade shoes? I’ll trade with you and then we trek the world barefoot!
P.S. Here’s a cool article about cultural humility my squadmate shared with me! (Thanks, Katie!!)
