Wednesday - November 6, 2013
This is my seventh trip to Africa. It’s not my first trip around the block. I am familiar with the culture, I know the people, I’ve even learned a little bit of the language... So, as you might expect, I’ve become more confident in my interaction with people.
On the way up and down the hill from Jeremiah’s over the past few days, I’ve gotten more than a few odd looks. There aren’t many white boys seen around these parts. So, I decided I’d try to blend in a bit. No, I didn’t take shoe polish to my hands, arms, and face (although in retrospect that may have worked better...). I decided to greet everyone who would look at me with a casual “Habari!” (“How are you!” in Swahili). It worked well. “Mzuri!” (“Fine!”) was the common response. Just so that people would know that I didn’t have a one word Swahili vocabulary I even began alternate greetings from time to time, switching from “Habari” to “Jambo” (simply “Hello”). Look at me and my Swahili-speaking-self now, I thought! Not bad, I’m blending in...
Then, on my way back to my room yesterday, I came up next to an older man who was also headed down the hill. “Habari!” I said. He looked over at me, and responded, “Mzuri.” Then he asked, “Habari?” Now it was my turn to respond: “Mzuri.” The only problem was that he wasn’t finished, and I had about exhausted my non-theological Swahili vocabulary. “Tutounana” (“See you later.”) seemed like it might be a little rude since we were walking together down the hill. He rattled off something in Swahili which my brain raced to try and decipher. But it was no use. The best I could do was frown like he wasn’t speaking clearly. So he tried again. Again, I was lost. The game is up, I thought. This old man has seen right through my (not so clever) disguise. “Kidogo (“a little”) Swahili” I admitted at last pointing to myself. Kidogo wasn’t really that accurate. “Kidogo sana” (very little) would be more like it. He was very gracious about it, smiling kindly. I was thinking that I was going to have to leave this guy in the dust or deal with uncomfortable silence the rest of the way down the hill, when he continued the conversation, this time in English! We had a nice visit the rest of the way down, and I didn’t have to pretend to be something I wasn’t.
Another lesson learned. Sometimes we are going to feel and maybe even be “out of place” in our lives. But trying to be something that we aren’t won’t make anything better. In fact it will often get you into big trouble. Deception whether big or small has consequences. It’s better to be up front and honest with people about who we are and what we are capable of.
As fallen human beings we are sinful and imperfect. Sin is inherent within us. As much as we don’t want to hear it or admit it, deep down inside we know it’s true. John declares: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). But how often don’t we act like we are not. We put on a show of goodness, and try to hide what we really are inside. Deception is not the solution. We can’t hide our sin from God. Rather, the solution is to be honest about our sin, and to come before God in humility confessing our sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Just as that old man knew I was not what I was trying to be, so God knows what we are. He knows that no matter how we may try to hide our sin, we cannot be holy as He is. In His grace, He came to us, in Jesus. Jesus paid the debt of our sins, and now He invites us to walk in the light with Him and with one another as His redeemed children: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Praise be to our Almighty God!
This is my seventh trip to Africa. It’s not my first trip around the block. I am familiar with the culture, I know the people, I’ve even learned a little bit of the language... So, as you might expect, I’ve become more confident in my interaction with people.
On the way up and down the hill from Jeremiah’s over the past few days, I’ve gotten more than a few odd looks. There aren’t many white boys seen around these parts. So, I decided I’d try to blend in a bit. No, I didn’t take shoe polish to my hands, arms, and face (although in retrospect that may have worked better...). I decided to greet everyone who would look at me with a casual “Habari!” (“How are you!” in Swahili). It worked well. “Mzuri!” (“Fine!”) was the common response. Just so that people would know that I didn’t have a one word Swahili vocabulary I even began alternate greetings from time to time, switching from “Habari” to “Jambo” (simply “Hello”). Look at me and my Swahili-speaking-self now, I thought! Not bad, I’m blending in...
Then, on my way back to my room yesterday, I came up next to an older man who was also headed down the hill. “Habari!” I said. He looked over at me, and responded, “Mzuri.” Then he asked, “Habari?” Now it was my turn to respond: “Mzuri.” The only problem was that he wasn’t finished, and I had about exhausted my non-theological Swahili vocabulary. “Tutounana” (“See you later.”) seemed like it might be a little rude since we were walking together down the hill. He rattled off something in Swahili which my brain raced to try and decipher. But it was no use. The best I could do was frown like he wasn’t speaking clearly. So he tried again. Again, I was lost. The game is up, I thought. This old man has seen right through my (not so clever) disguise. “Kidogo (“a little”) Swahili” I admitted at last pointing to myself. Kidogo wasn’t really that accurate. “Kidogo sana” (very little) would be more like it. He was very gracious about it, smiling kindly. I was thinking that I was going to have to leave this guy in the dust or deal with uncomfortable silence the rest of the way down the hill, when he continued the conversation, this time in English! We had a nice visit the rest of the way down, and I didn’t have to pretend to be something I wasn’t.
Another lesson learned. Sometimes we are going to feel and maybe even be “out of place” in our lives. But trying to be something that we aren’t won’t make anything better. In fact it will often get you into big trouble. Deception whether big or small has consequences. It’s better to be up front and honest with people about who we are and what we are capable of.
As fallen human beings we are sinful and imperfect. Sin is inherent within us. As much as we don’t want to hear it or admit it, deep down inside we know it’s true. John declares: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). But how often don’t we act like we are not. We put on a show of goodness, and try to hide what we really are inside. Deception is not the solution. We can’t hide our sin from God. Rather, the solution is to be honest about our sin, and to come before God in humility confessing our sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Just as that old man knew I was not what I was trying to be, so God knows what we are. He knows that no matter how we may try to hide our sin, we cannot be holy as He is. In His grace, He came to us, in Jesus. Jesus paid the debt of our sins, and now He invites us to walk in the light with Him and with one another as His redeemed children: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Praise be to our Almighty God!
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,
Whose boundless mercy hath for me,
For me, and all Thy hands have made,
An everlasting ransom paid.
(TLH 371:1,7)
4 comments:
We read this post during devotion this morning, and the kids would like to leave a comment for you...
Daniel, "Dear Dad, I liked the post that you made and I learned some Swahili, too. I miss you and love you a lot."
Mark, "I liked the post that you made and I miss you a lot and I miss you as much as heaven and back. And I love you all the way up to heaven and back."
Hope, "I really enjoyed this post and it made me think about how very true it is that no matter where you are you need to be who you are. Ich Liebe dich."
Julia, "Dad, I miss you so much. I can't even tell you how much, it would take a thousand years. But I really think your post was really great and I loved it, but I love you three thousand times more."
Noah, "I love you, Dad, but I was driving my car all over the floor while Mom read your blog so I didn't hear any of it."
Thanks for a great post and a reminding us that God loves us even though we are so unworthy of His grace. xo
I loved the story of you trying to appear as if you were fluent in Swahili! Something like that happened to me. When I was in Peru I kept telling people I didn't know Spanish because I took French in high school. One day a man popped up who spoke French, but I couldn't remember any! I was so embarrassed! Safe travels to you and God bless you always!
Loved your story! It made me laugh and also nod my head at the times I have done the same thing (minus the Swahili part...) We are praying for your continued safety and for the work of the Gospel! The Lord keep you my brother!
Thank you all for your comments and for your continued prayers. You can't imagine how much I have learned and been reminded of on this trip! May our gracious Lord bless and keep all of you as well!
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