So far, my experience in Africa has been full of warmth: warm weather, warm welcomes, and warm food. Basically every person we’ve approached to share the gospel with has been receptive; many have accepted Christ as their savior. We encourage and preach to those who are already saved and they are really grateful for our presence. I’m usually oblivious to spiritual atmosphere, but even I can tell that there is a spiritual openness here.
But spiritual openness means an acceptance of all kinds of spirituality, including the darkness. Hence the presence of witch doctors and sorcery.
Even personally, I hear lies whispered into my ear. My usual self-talk is optimistic, and words from the Lord are always rooted in love. But out of nowhere, I hear in my head negative commentary about the people around me. For example, a really minor misunderstanding with my teammate led me to believe that my team doesn’t love me. I know, a really extreme& inaccurate outcome of a really trivial situation. I recognize that. I have to flick those kinds of thoughts out of my head often, like how I swat at dozens of mosquitos every evening. It’s a lot of emotional energy to stay on top of which thoughts to let in, and which to deny.
The gospel of Luke describes how a lamp is kept on a stand so that the light is distributed, rather than hidden under a bed or in a jar. Darkness is inevitable. Even though my prayer is for every.single.person.on.the.planet. to experience Christ as their savior, I realize this is a broken world. I wouldn’t be sharing the gospel around the world if it wasn’t necessary.
It also says to “consider carefully how you listen.” I’m bombarded daily with more suggestions than I can count, both here and at home. Do I listen with open ears to every person/movie/advertisement/printed article/song lyric/Facebook rant that I encounter? I want to say yes, that I’m a rational person who can decide which pieces I hold on to, versus which I let go of. But if I fill my head with the junk of the world, how am I different than nonbelievers? Where do I draw the line? How do I really know that the subtle things I should reject haven’t already wiggled their way into my head simply by exposure?
I can’t exactly revolutionize the movie/music/printed literature industries to accommodate my conservative preferences. But in my personal space, I can control a few pieces of what I intake. I’m abstaining from secular music and literature for a long minute. I’m disconnecting from those ranters who use social media as their platform.
I’m not saying I don’t want to spend time with nonbelievers, or that I’m suddenly intolerant of anyone else’s colorful language or ideas or behaviors. What’s the point of a lamp that’s secluded completely? I don’t want to inflict unwanted change, and I treasure many friendships with people who don’t know the Lord. I just mean that in my immediate personal time, to remain steadfast for this endurance-style Race/life, I’m choosing to be more selective.
I trust that these kinds of measures will provide extra protection against the darkness. I refuse to let the Light be diluted. I refuse to be dimmed.
