“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27 NIV
Our time in Thailand has come to a close. I’m writing this from a coffee shop in Myanmar (Myanmar blog coming soon). Looking back on Thailand, I’m really pleased with our time there. It was amazing. It was humbling. It was honestly a really difficult time for me, but a time with a lot of growth. And now, as I’m looking back on Thailand, I’m surprised to find myself wanting to be religious in a way I haven’t in the past.
I often hear that Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. I think this is true in the sense that Christianity is about relationship, in the sense that relationship with the Creator of the universe is largely what sets Christianity apart from other religions. But it also is a religion. We’re still to follow the Word of God, to be moved by the Spirit and by compassion, and to submit to the hierarchy that we are a part of, with God being divine, with us being creation. I saw that lived out so well by our ministry hosts, Wanida and Aaron. They understood self-sacrifice in a way I’ve rarely seen in the past. Their lives revolved around the love of the fatherless. Talking to them, I could see the compassion in their eyes. There was an authentic love for the children at Fountain of Hope, a genuine sorrow for their friends and the people around them who attended the Buddhist temple. Their hearts are for widows and orphans. Not just for the care of their physical needs, but for the care of their spirits, for their spiritual development and their distinction from the world. I want that. I want to be overcome with a heart for the lost and hurting, I want to keep myself from being polluted by the world. I want religion that is pure and faultless, and I saw that exercised daily by our hosts in Thailand.
Wanida and Aaron live the gospel. Their hearts are for the Lord, and, consequently, for the world. Places like Fountain of Hope, places that practice pure and faultless religion, demonstrate how the church is the hope of nations, how Christians are the light of the world, a city on a hill. It’s a beautiful thing to witness firsthand. My impact on Thailand I hope was one of love, of service and compassion. But I know Thailand’s impact on me was showing the distinction between Christianity and the religions of this world. It was the demonstration of a pure religion.
