I wrote this blog a few months ago. I am currently in month 9, Honduras, but I felt lead to still share this.
This month, month 7, my team and I are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And let me tell you what, the Lord is working in this country and most of all in the organization that we are partnered with, Dignity Center.
As I walk down the streets of the city I see so many different people: women with headdresses on, women with the jewel between their eyebrows, dark skinned people, light skinned people, and so many more. I have the opportunity this month to experience this diversity first hand at the school we are partnering with. Between the staff, children, and my team, we have a wide array of nationalities. There are people from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, China, Iran, Canada, the United States, and more that I don’t even realize or know about. Not to mention the many different tribes here in Malaysia. Each group has their own very distinct cultural differences and yet they are living, working, and learning in unity despite these differences.
I was amazed today during parent-teacher conferences as I watched 13-16 year old students act as translators. There are so many different languages present in this country that many children are tri-lingual. One student was speaking to a teacher in her native tongue and then turned to translate in the Mother’s native Malay tongue. They even threw in some English during the conversation. I sat there in awe. This young boy speaks three different languages fluently and yet most of my friends, me included, can only speak English.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been speechless quite a few different times this month. It truly amazes me that so many different people can live and interact with no hate. It’s sad to say but we struggled with this in America. I was speechless when the Muslim families celebrating Ramadhan happily, freely, and excitedly invited my teammate and I into their home to celebrate alongside them. We were mere strangers and yet they welcomed us in with open arms, an amazing meal, and fellowship. It reminded me of how the Lord has asked us to treat one another, which is in love.
I was speechless during one of the home visits; a family who had nothing gave us bottles of soda water. This family lived in one room in the back of a small store. They welcomed us in and laid a rug on the concrete floor for us to sit on, as they only had three chairs. This was another thing that reminded me of a story in the Bible. We are told to freely give and he will provide our needs. There is a story in the Bible about the man who gives 100 dollars and the man who gives 10. The man who gave 10 gave all he had to where the man who gave 100 had thousands to give. Therefore, the man who gave 10 had more faith and trusted the Lord for provision. This family showed that generosity and faith when they graciously gave us the water.
I am speechless every time I walk into the KFC right down the street from where we are staying. This KFC is different. It’s special. It is by far the quietest fast food restaurant I have ever been in. Why? This one hires those that are deaf in the community. I was speechless as I watched them sign back and forth to communicate the orders. Dignity Center and this community see people where they are at. They are accepted as they are. This community sees a need and they work together to find a solution.
As I’ve sat down and reflected on these past few days and week. I’ve been so saddened by our American culture. Every time I google news for home all I see is conflict. I’m saddened that we can’t live in peace with those that are different from us. I’m saddened that we live with stereotypes and preconceptions of what others are and that we judge them by their appearance. We judge everyone; white and black, Muslim and Christian, blondes and brunets, the lists go on and on.
I am so tired of the stereotypes and stigmas that we place on one another. I don’t think that America is happy unless one group or another is rallying against another. Are there things in this world that happen and that aren’t fair? Absolutely. Will inequality constantly be an issue? More than likely. Unless, we as Christ followers begin to step forward and share the values of forgiveness and love that we are taught, there will always be inequality.
“Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight”. When was the last time that you looked at someone who is different than you and truly appreciated them? When was the last time that you looked at a Muslim and didn’t fear for your life? When was the last time that you looked at a black man and didn’t think he was about to jack your wallet? When was the last time that you looked at a white man and saw him as more than just some rich guy with the law on his side?
When was the last time that you looked at yourself?
What do you see?
A bigot, tyrant, hypocrite, racist.
Or do you see:
Love, patience, acceptance, forgiveness.
America you need to wake up! We need to stop arguing about black or white, gay or straight, or Iranian or American.
We need to open our eyes and our hearts and forgive the things of the past. The facts tell us that we held blacks as inferior to whites. We know that women were viewed as less than men. We know that Arabic people attacked our country and killed thousands of people. The facts tell us about these tragedies, injustices, and cruel acts against one another. They happened and they’re still happening because of people’s unwillingness to forgive and move forward.
What happened to our “one nation under God”? Why is every group protesting, rallying, and making some noise while we Christians are sitting back? Why aren’t we standing up for our beliefs and what the Lord tells us to do? Why are we so quick to be put down by gay rights activists who accuse us of being unjust? We as Christians are called to love people, that doesn’t mean that we commend the acts of people that are sinful. We are called to love them and hate the sins that they commit. Christians have a right just as much as the next protest group that decides to storm Washington D.C.
It’s time that we use our voice and stand up for our Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim what he desires for our nation. We’re promised persecution and hardships because of His name and I think it’s high time that we start to feel what that is like, by making some noise in Jesus name. In case you all forgot, the same God that freely gives mercy to us all also made the walls of Jericho fall and cities experience plagues. When you truly love someone you don’t only show them the mushy love but the disciplinary love as well. It’s time that we started to seek the Lord for that disciplinary love!
Don’t you think that it’s time that we stand up for His name and make a change in America?
I do.
The acts of retaliation I see in the news will only lead to destruction. We have to accept FORGIVENESS. That’s the only way that I see our country rising past these tragedies and constant battles of injustice. We live in a free country and yet we seem to take that for granted.
We can learn from Dignity! They accept the different cultures and treat each other with respect. They respect privacy, holiday differences, and even languages. Dignity is accepting of all people regardless of their skin color, religious differences, and cultural differences.
We need to take some lessons from their people and become more accepting of those that are different from us.
We need to start showing that disciplinary love for our people. We need something radical like the wall falling down to shake up America. We need to see some unity among the diversity.
