As we dodged stray dogs, street vendors, and city traffic on our jog today, I was reminded of the drastic cultural differences I have experienced throughout my travels this year. From taking ice cold bucket showers in Moldova, to being chased by grumpy geese in Romania, to praying-without-ceasing on wild matatu rides in India, to warily scanning latrines for cockroaches and chickens i
n Nepal, to carrying my headlamp around for daily blackouts in Kenya, to joining in passionate dance-party church services in Rwanda, to being un-phased by the family goat trotting through the kitchen in Uganda, to now entering the tech-savvy world of Thailand, I’m learning that every country has its quirks and perks.
This month we have taken a drastic step back towards the western civilization I once took for granted growing up in North America. It’s funny how much you notice when luxuries disappear, but how quickly you forget that they are luxuries once you have access to them again. Things like clean water. Electricity. Showers. Bathrooms. Paved roads. English-speaking people. English-speaking churches. Internet access. Kitchens. Beds. The list goes on, and over the past year the Lord has continued to give and take away. Like Job talks about in 1:21.
I am becoming increasingly aware of all the things I am blessed with, and making a conscious effort to be thankful for them. Take for example, breathing. I know I know, we’re getting pretty elementary but here is why. As a spin-off from the Malaria I had last month, my lungs became extremely congested and it was painful to breathe in deeply. While I’ve never felt anything like it, I assume it is like what most people with Asthma feel like. How confining! Every time I tried to exercise, walk up the stairs, or exert myself in any way I struggled to breath. This finally brought me to tears on a failed attempt at jogging last Wednesday. I’m not really sure why I thought that was a good idea but needed to get some fresh air! I just wanted to breathe normally and get on with my life.
After taking a few days ‘rest’ whatever junk was in my chest worked itself out and I regained my lung capacity. Praise the Lord! Now when I come back from a jog – breathing hard, tired, and sooo sweaty – all I can think is “I am so thankful”. Thankful that I can breathe deeply. Thankful that I can run until my body is tired. Thankful that I have clean water to replenish my dehydration from the sweat. However, the truth of the matter is that I am not sure how long this euphoria will last. How long until I once again take the luxury of healthy lungs for granted? Just like the living luxuries I have been re-introduced to this month, I seem to quickly adapt to and underappreciate things I am blessed with on a daily basis.
So my “New-Month-Resolution” is to “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances” [1 Thes 5:16a]. Sounds simple enough, right? ; ]. Alright, so the fail-potential is pretty significant but with His help….yeah? YEAH.
