It has been a fascinating journey living between a couple of different cultures. I always chuckle when it comes to how middle-aged men that are upwardly mobile live or die by their ical or day timer. I pride myself on being on time or early to anything I do. I know that in the other cultures I live in and around it is almost the total opposite, being late is the expected norm. I know that living with teens and kids the rule of thumb is last minute changes and spontaneity is considered ‘bomb’ or the best. Our college student, Terrance, would say that he lives according to CP time, i.e. Colored People Time. (Terrance isn’t known for being punctual usually but he is trying to be better.)
I know that it is easy to plan your life into the ground, literally, like where will I be buried or over which mountain or beach will be ashes be scattered. I believe that there is a balance between being totally irresponsible and being totally compulsive obsessive. How much insurance do I need? If I had put my love trust totally into the value of my house or 401K I would be getting ready to jump off the proverbial cliff. Where I live house values have been reduced by over 50%. I am reminded that the Psalmist challenges his family and friends with not trusting in how many horses or chariots you have but in the Lord.
I will be the first to confess and even repent of the fact that I react to people that have everything perfectly planned out or are in the habit of controlling everyone around them. It is satisfying to obviously see something well planned out and at the end of the day be able to reflect on the blessing of being someone who has thought ahead and planned everything out. This last weekend we had an all day Saturday event that was the by-product of planning for months with a group from Iowa. They provided the resources and man-woman power to do some awesome things in a day. I had to ask others to help out, seeing this group was going to come exactly at lunchtime to begin their mercy event. I had to call ahead to get a couple of bouncies, chairs and tables to be delivered. I had to go shopping for the lunch, ask others to make special salads, etc…. I had to ask someone whose house we were going to paint for the Blitz if it was ok to paint it 2 weeks ahead. Having said all of this I also decided at the last minute to take the group from Iowa for an experience of their lifetime and go by the Ranch Market. We took a quick tour of the Mercado and allowed the group to enter into a different world. We all shared the thirst quenching drink of an amazing fruit drink.
As I look at the life of Jesus and the Apostle Paul they seem to have totally different methodology when it comes to the ‘time thing’. Paul seems to be the legalist who is always wanting to do something or push someone to do it his way. Jesus on the other hand seems to be totally casual and by the moment. The disciples were with him for three years and still didn’t get it at the end of his life. This isn’t a put down but just a reflection on different types of leadership styles. Jesus taught more by doing or as I say walking and talking. Paul was much more a didactic teacher who ‘got off’ on the lecture hall scene. Whereas, Jesus loved sitting on sides of mountains or along the seashore when he taught.
I have also come to the conclusion in life that there will always be someone who is your advocate and promoter and someone else who is your antagonist. This is just life. Jesus gave a pretty clear sense to his group that if he was beat up for certain things that they also would get flack. I say this not to brag about doing great things but the harsh reality that often people don’t understand or choose to take the time to walk in another person’s shoes. As I have been forced to slow down and be with my Dad and other seniors. I know that I have to relate back to them on their terms not mine. Yeah, I don’t like this and get rebellious at times but this is just life. Jesus was able to go back to his hometown knowing that he wasn’t going to get a hero’s welcome but a total rejection. Even his own brothers and sisters didn’t understand or get what he was all about.
So my struggles are how do I get better at loving and accepting those who I don’t like or get along with very well. I know that the cold war isn’t really an option, especially with relatives. Yet, the way most people deal with those that they don’t understand or like is to stiff them, put them down or hurt them. This is an ongoing learning curve that I pray God’s grace and mercy will impact my way of relating back to people that are very different from me.
No comments:
Post a Comment