“Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
Colossians Colossians 3:12-14
What if this month was less about what difference we made in other peoples lives for his name, and more about the difference he made in ours?Eating Beef “Pho” on the streetside of Dalat, VietnamI was reminded that it matters just as much how you treat the people in the country you are going to serve, as the people who are serving you along the way! We had choices in how to deal with the Vietnamese-Visa.com folks who issued us the fake visa. We had choices in how to treat the Air Asia staff who were just doing their job, requiring us to show the invitation letter before boarding the plane. And we had choices in how to think and talk about our own teammates as we went through this challenging and often confusing month.
I can’t say I always clothed myself with those qualities like kindness, humility, gentleness and ultimately love during the visa fiasco and unsure, unknown days that followed. I was definitely forced to clothe myself with patience as I corresponded back and forth with the visa company to understand what happened. And humility was our team uniform as we ran into the exact same Air Asia staff, during our second trip to Vietnam.More than the benefit of of mending al these Vietnam-related relationships, Team Luminous has really had a chance to experience peace within our own hearts and towards each other, this month.WHAT!?! you may say…don’t all World Race teams get along well, understand each
Playing the best game in the world… together! other completely and just get going on the common-ground, kingdom-bringing mission? Nope…sorry to lift the veil on authentic, Christian community living. It’s not easy and can get darn right ugly at times, as our natural selfishness and pride get in the mix. Everyone comes in with their own unique personality, unsaid expectations, past hurts and future hopes and we’re supposed to work as one, unified, body…Good-luck!The thing that Team Luminous has realized (or been poignantly reminded of this month), is that love is a choice, it’s a commitment… and it’s totally worth it! We’re on these teams with these specific individuals, for a bigger reason. Pride…step aside, but we’re on these teams not for the benefit we are going to be in their lives, but for the refining, sharpening effect others are going to have on our lives. Isn’t that what marriage and the Church are supposed to be about anyways?We are heading into debrief in Bangkok and then off to South Africa next Sunday (June 1) with renewed energy and appreciation for each other’s strengths, differences and God ordained persons on our team.And we’re thankful!
Diem, the dried fruit and tea-vending friend we made in the marketMy wife, wearing a “traditional” Vietnamese dress
