It’s crazy to me how different my home is from the rest of the world. The United States of America, “the land of the free”, from my observations, is not free at all. I’ve grown up in a very open house hold. We talked about our feelings, the hard things we were going through and didn’t keep the negative thoughts inside. But I know that we were definitely not perfect and along with a lot of my friends and family we’d do just the opposite. We all have tried to stuff the hard things down deep inside. We hide from the word vulnerability and seek worldly love in order to fill ourselves up just enough to forget about our struggles for awhile. I definitely used to do this. With boys, social media, clothes, sports, beauty, etc.
What’s been interesting to see in Africa is their culture of hospitality. Within the last two weeks I’ve evangelized in two squatter camps in Joburg. The camps are made up of people from all over Africa. I’m talking Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Limpopo, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania and so many more that we haven’t even met yet! It’s seriously the coolest thing to get to meet people from all over the continent of Africa. Joburg has become a huge melting pot of the African culture, and it’s the biggest blessing and privilege to experience it.
When we go out into these communities we walk from shack to shack saying “coco!” which is a universal African term for “knock knock”. We ask people if they’re busy and they usually say no so we then ask if they would like to talk. The first thing that they always do, without fail, is make sure (the white people) all have a chair to sit on. Whether that’s a bucket, a brick, or an actual chair. Sometimes if they don’t have enough seats for us they go as far as to borrow a neighbors chair or bucket. The generous hospitality they show to complete strangers is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. They let us come into their homes and they talk with us for hours on end. Building relationships with us as we ask where they’re from, about their families, jobs, struggles, beliefs and share the love of Christ with them. They so kindly invite us, even if they don’t have the same beliefs about God, they’re always willing to still have a conversation about it. It’s seriously one of the kindest environments I’ve ever been in.
Today, I was talking to a man who believed he needed to be a traditional healer (witch doctor) in order to save his children from generations of evil spirits past down from his ancestors. He shared his life, his beliefs, and answered all the questions I could think of to ask him. He even asked me about Jesus and why I believe what I do. I learned so much about the African culture from him and that’s something I never would have gotten to learn had he not invited me into his yard to sit and talk.
Another thing we talked about was America. Once he heard that I was from there he got so excited and told me that it was one of his dreams to go there. I proceeded to tell him that though America is great in many ways, that I liked Africa a whole lot more. I told him that my absolute favorite thing about this place was how hospitable, kind and inviting everyone is. I explained that if I were to walk around neighborhoods in the states and knock on doors asking people if they were busy and wanted to talk that probably 97% of the time people would say that 1. They didn’t even know me 2. They were busy or didn’t have time. And 3. They would never just invite me, a stranger, into their home, nor would they run around their house trying to find me a place to sit or even go to the extent of asking a neighbor to borrow a chair. Never.
That’s what I don’t like. That’s what breaks me heart about the American culture. We’re so closed off. We invite our friends and family over to watch a football game, have dinner, bbq, play soccer in the yard together etc. But how many of us can say that we’d invite in complete strangers, from across the world, speaking a language you barely know, knocking on your door asking to talk and be friends? I know that I for one would have probably hidden behind my window until they stopped knocking on my door and went away, or would’ve said that I’m too busy.
What needs to happen in our culture and community is healing. In order to do that we have to open up to one another, share testimonies with each other and continuously build eachother up. Being hospitable and inviting the lost and broken into your home is what’s going to bring healing to everyone involved and essentially create a community of vulnerability and dependence. With healing comes Jesus and your/our opportunity to share the good news of what God sent his son down to earth to do. Hospitality should be inviting others in, getting them a seat whether it’s a bucket or a chair. It’s sharing what Jesus has done in your life and how they too can be healed, wiped clean and live in a freedom that’s better than any worldly love they could ever imagine.
God is the ultimate example for us. He created this insanely exquisite world for us to live in. He’s made the most beautiful colors for us to see; the tastiest foods for us to eat and nourish our bodies, the soothing sounds of waves crashing against the shore, rain tapping on a roof, and wind flowing through the leaves on trees. He’s created things like Victoria Falls, The Grand Canyon, and The Northern lights etc. God’s made the most delightful home for us to stay and grow in. And, he even created an unimaginably beautiful home for us in heaven where we get to live eternally. So, if God gives us this amazing home and is the heavenly host for everyone, why are we not doing the same for everyone we get to share this Earth with?
