I feel like a couple days ago I 'woke up' and my comfort level when walking around the village has increased! In this context, when a group of people are sitting around talking, if you walk by, they don't invite you to come sit down with them. You have to invite yourself, or simply walk in and sit down with them. But they're generally glad you did! (And if they're not, they will start making excuses one by one why they need to leave, until you're the last one sitting there, haha!)
Anyway, I'm glad that I am starting to feel more comfortable here. Time has begun to pave a path of relationships, and of understanding who people are, what they're about, and what they believe. This gives me SO much more joy as I leave my house and walk around in the village.
Choosing to take time for relationships with people creates these bonds. Asking and answering questions keeps conversation going and strengthens the relationship.
Sometimes it's difficult for me to choose to take time for relationships. Sometimes my eyes get overly distracted by housework, or the back of my eyelids, pride, insecurity, or simply my own selfish agenda. There are things like that, (especially housework, amen?) that will ALWAYS be before me. But relationships are not automatically there to greet me like a sink of dirty dishes is. In contrast, relationships take effort to be strong and fruitful. They take me denying myself and my agenda. And they take me thinking of the other person in the way that Christ thinks of them. I don't believe He has me here on this earth to ignore people, or to walk alongside sisters in Christ at a surface level. It's much more comfortable to do that, though! Especially with a language and culture barrier, let me tell you!
But the comfort of this ground is not what He desires for me. In fact, I think it's pretty clear throughout Scripture that comfort on this ground was never His plan or intention for His children. Looking toward our heavenly Home is His desire- which is looking toward Christ. And there we have it again in its purest form: relationships.
The comfort I'm starting to experience here in Tigak has NOTHING to do with my house, with the weather (ha!), with the bugs, with the lifestyle... not. at. all. It has EVERYTHING to do with the building of relationships.
Now I don't know, but I'm guessing that when Jesus was born on that day we now remember as 'Christmas day", I'm pretty sure He didn't wake up in that feeding trough (and its remarkable, high-class context) and think, "Ah, how great is THIS!!" It wasn't about the comfort of this ground, it was about His goal, His mission- relationships.
And so it is my hope and my endeavor to learn and choose daily to be relational. I have the chance everyday to love others in how I communicate and relate to them. I can take that- OR I can leave that. It's up to me, each and every day.
Merry Christmas! Let's go and be intentional to build relationships:
~ with believers, to strengthen each other in the faith and give each other joy (as 1 John says)
~ and with unbelievers, that we may understand their belief system so that we may truly know how to share the gospel of grace with them
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| Our girls with some friends from another tribe. Relationships are just as important for MK's! Did you know you and/or your kids can write to Naya and Jocie? You can send letters in the mail, OR through Maily, a safe and free kids' email program. Ask us about it! |
