**Warning** This has the potential to offend people and step on toes. Traveling back and forth from countries for missions trips I never really experienced what people refer to as culture shock. For the longest time I credited that to the fact that I am usually highly adaptable; however, I think for the first time in over 3 years Im experiencing culture shock. Which is weird, being I returned from Latin America almost 2 months ago. I believe that culture shock can be different for each individual, but the actual definition of culture shock is: the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. Ive always thought of people in other countries as equal to myself. I never once thought myself better simply because I was born in America, and honestly I think that had a lot to do with me not experiencing culture shock. Black, white, brown - we all bleed the same, and if you break us down to the core of who we are as humans, we are the exact same. That is the way I have always viewed it. For me it doesnt matter if you have to wait in line for hours to get your food or if you can pull through a drive through and be eating within a minute. Fresh air or heavily polluted air. Asphalt or dirt. It has never mattered to me. However it just hit me - and why it didnt hit me sooner, I have no idea - but to me its utterly heartbreaking to see how kids in Africa are dying every single day merely because they have no water to drink, and little girls in Venezuela have their childhoods taken from them and are forced to sell their bodies to men in exchange for the food they need to merely survive. How little boys in Saudi Arabia are taken from their families and forced into gangs, and children in Ghana are left stranded on an island and forced to work over 14 hours every single day and are fed only one small handful of rice. Im sorry if this has offended you or busted your perfect idea of the world, but Im tired of people in America wanting to stick their heads in the sand and ignoring the injustice of the world. Just because it doesnt immediately affect you or your family does NOT mean it doesnt matter. The world is hurting and longing for the only One who can save them, but we are too busy inventing talking robots and cars that can drive themselves to even care! That breaks my heart. I pray that a generation arises that will forsake EVERYTHING for the cause of Christ. A generation that believes wholeheartedly that the lives of people around the world are worth dying for if it means sharing with them the Hope that can be found in Christ alone. A generation of passionate believers that will live out the Great Commission even until their final breath. One that will say I will take the hardships and challenges of a foreign country, over the ease of America if it means my brothers and sister around the world can join with me one day around the throne of Christ singing Holy Holy Holy are You Jesus, Worthy is the Lamb. That is the cry of my heart, and that is what I will spend my life doing. If it means I stand alone, so be it, but I wont stop.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 16:43:25 +0000
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