Excerpts from "Everything is Upside Down" letter written to Marc White
Posted: 2007-09-10 20:37:23
Excerpts from "EVERYTHING is UPSIDE DOWN"
MARC WHITE WRITES: A dear friend and brother in the faith
wrote this to us a few years ago after his work in southwest Africa
exposed him to the bleak contrasts in cultures. God help us...
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Fall 2003
Dear Marc,
Until you've lived outside the U.S. for awhile, you don't fully realize
how upside down everything is. I caught a glimpse of it on short-
term trips, but I realize it fully now.
In America, things that are not at all important, are made to seem
like they are very important. This is not just in the worldly culture
surrounding the Christian, it is in the Christian culture. Other things
that are very important are made to seem like they are insignificant.
Okay, you are probably wanting examples right now. Entertainment
for example. Americans are entertained to death by sports and
movies and TV and you name it. It is amazing how much of our
society is consumed with entertainment. Entertainers make the
most money of anybody in our culture for a good reason. We are
HUGE entertainment consumers. That huge endeavor adds very,
very little to anyone's life. In the final analysis, it has almost NO
long-term value even in a temporal society. The rest of the world
sees America as basically a frivolous, entertainment society.
On the other hand, relationships and the time it takes to build
them well, are completely ignored by almost everyone in American
society. We are in such a hurry to do all the unimportant things,
that we don't have time for the one thing that will go into eternity
with us: other people.
Do you realize how hard it is to minister to people in America?
You spend 90% of your time just trying to get people's attention.
Then the remaining 10% you try to minister to them. But do it
quickly because they are checking their watch the whole time
and thinking of the other 10 things they have to do today.
In Africa, it is completely the opposite. People can't afford
entertainment, they are trying to survive and put food on their
table, if they even own a table. But Africa is a relational society.
They understand taking time to get to know each other. In Africa,
ministry is such a rewarding experience. You just show up and
people are eager to listen.
When I would return from short-term missions trips, I would always
commit to myself, that I was going to make fundamental lifestyle
changes. And then I found that it is almost impossible to lead a
lifestyle that is swimming against the current of everything else in
your culture, your Christian culture.
And so I finally decided to move to a place where life is already
right side up: where important things are still important and
unimportant things are unaffordable. And where you don't have to
be a Public Relations expert to draw a crowd of eager learners
who will appreciate the gifts that God has given you to bless others.
Your brother in Christ...
*Comment by David Nelson: This particular person’s solution of moving to a “better place” should be as the Lord directed him. Others are led by the Lord to stay where they are.
