The Outside

For those of you who don't know...

I have had this desire for almost 5 years. I want to see God at work outside of the US.

I want to see God's worldview, life outside of fashion, make-up, hair products, riches, and liberalism. I want to see a world outside of "elevated living" in which time seems to "stand still" and days are built around cooking, cleaning, and truly living. I really want a more realistic worldview. A Biblical worldview.

Am I selfish? Probably. Is the point of my wanting that I can bring home a nice ethnically diverse picture for a church slide show? No.

I just believe that there is so much more out there that we American Christians have fooled ourselves and convinced ourselves that doesn't exist. I believe that non-Americans have great value and are quite possibly are even living their faiths more Biblically than us. I believe that a poor person is not to be labeled in pitied help, but has so much more to teach about trusting God than many middle-class and still rich "go to churchers."

Do I think missions are an out-of-country experience? No. But I do think that experience teaches far more than an imagined alternate reality. And I really want to be rocked out of this world in my sometimes God in a box thinking. I just feel like I've bought too much into the American church some days that "it's okay" to skip devotions and "it's okay" to forget to pray as if devotions and prayer have no affect.... no meaning. And sometimes I get so lost in American thinking that things should be handed to me and maybe the best way to serve God is to tolerate other's beliefs that I feel I've betrayed the real, live God of the Word. The God of this world, not the Western God of the Americas.

Do I need to leave the country to learn about the Real Jehovah, Maker of All and Sustainer of Life? No. I just would really like to some day. I just would really like to serve and even just witness another's faith in Jesus Christ that has not been dulled by ego-centrism. No, I don't have to leave the country to witness very strong examples for Jesus. I just really would like the opportunity to do so some day.

And it's a day like today in which my heart longs for that day

... if it should come.