After 5 months of living amongst the poorest of the poor and working in 3rd world countries, we have found ourselves in the middle of 1st World comfort at Christmas time. It is actually much more challenging than you might think…
I’m sitting in the dirt in a slum in Pattaya and then two weeks later I’m sitting in a posh little town outside London
It’s really difficult to go against cultural grains. A life of abandon and simplicity is much easier to live when everyone around you has nothing, but to choose to live on very little when everyone around you has much is harder. And honestly I just LOVE third world countries! I love the sense of community that arises. I love to see people sharing what little they have so that their neighbor has enough to live. Time has little or no meaning, but relationships are HIGHLY valued. I’ve really missed those things this month.
Here is a random fun list in honor of my friend Kaysi who loves lists as much as I do.
You know you aren’t in the 3rd world when…
1. You no longer see random, mangy animals wandering the streets
2. Children are fully dressed and not malnourished
3. Your transportation has seatbelts
4. Most food is sold in stores and restaurants rather than homes and street vendors
5. You no longer need to carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer in your purse
6. People you talk to on the street no longer invite you into their homes
7. Hot showers are the norm, not the exception
8. Most people’s physical needs are met and so they feel that they don’t need God
I really struggled to readjust the first two weeks we were here in England. London is COLD, it’s not Africa, and I was entering back into Western mindset of set expectations, schedules, efficiency, and busyness. I’ve spent the last five months learning to lay down my rights and my expectations; only to jump back into a culture where those things are highly valued. I’ve spent five months learning to be completely flexible, to not be upset when someone shows up 2+ hours late for a meeting (or doesn’t show up at all), and to allow God to bring people my way and let that fill my day; only to enter into a culture and ministry where every moment of every day is scheduled including when my alarm is allowed to go off and when I can shower. Needless to say, the transition was difficult! I was really struggling with how to submit to the authority that I have been placed under this month, but not undermine all that the Lord has been doing in my heart.
The conclusion I have come to is that I need to readjust to western/1st world culture… but only sort of. I know that I need to adjust to time-oriented cultures enough to show up for work on-time. If I have a seatbelt, I should wear it. If I don’t have to sleep on the floor or eat food sold on the street, I will probably be more well-rested and healthier. On a more serious note, I need to be able to enter into any culture (including my own) and bring Kingdom. I need to be able to come to those places, submit to authority with selflessness and humility, function in that culture with powerful faith, and share the hope of Christ with love and compassion.
However, there are several ways that I never want to settle back into western culture. My heart has seen a new way of living… a way of living in loving relationship both with God and with those around me. Even though I have always loved relational stuff, I’ve spent my entire life in a huge time crunch running from place to place and activity to activity (of my own choosing). I have discovered so much freedom and joy in slowing down my lifestyle, in really having time for relationship, and for giving my spirit room to grow (not just in my devotional time, but in a life that is really consumed by hearing from God, dialoguing with Him, and living completely surrendered to Him). It’s been such a beautiful new way of living in relationship with my God that I have never known because I have never given myself permission not to be so busy or consumed by time. That’s the part of western culture that I don’t want to come back to!
I don’t want to come back to a life that’s too busy to be completely consumed by Jesus.
I don’t want to come back to a life that’s so noisy that it’s hard to hear Him outside of specific moments when I’m praying or reading.
I don’t want to come back to set expectations of what my life is supposed to look like.
I don’t want to come back to the idea that the western way of doing things is the only way to do them.
I don’t want to come back to a life that is so planned and efficient that people are seen as interruptions to my schedule.
I don’t want to come back to eyes that see so many places to be and things to do, but don’t see God’s Kingdom around me.
So I’m here in London and I’m readjusting… sort of.
*More to come soon on the lessons I have been learning here in London.
