Two years ago I got bit HARD by the travel bug. I tasted culture, experienced history, and the world became full of vibrance. My eyes were open to life beyond my comfort zone and if nothing more my study abroad experience is full of memories, laughs, and tears that I will cling to the rest of my life. Traveling through Europe, very developed countries, was quenching for my free spirit, but many aspects were familiar to my north american lifestyle- technology, emphasis on family, healthy lifestyle, love for the arts... Last summer, I got travel bug NUMBER TWO. But this time, this time was different. Instead of this spirit of adventure, freedom, and excitement flowing through my body and thriving off the unknown world before me, this bug was a deeper, relational concern and care for the people of the culture, rather than just the land. This place that captured my heart was and is Thailand. It was through my observations and conversations with Thai and tribal people that my heart began to beat for the restoration, reconciliation, and sustainable development of these households, communities, and country. Every part of me wanted to give them a future, only to realize that development work is more than just "hand outs"...
Sometimes I am consumed with the idea that development is about the material world and I ignore the spiritual process that is dwelling, restoring, and creating as well. God is working in the now, in the concrete world of space and time. In the past few years, my theology and understanding of God has been stripped from its previous legalistic view of God and I have learned the loving, gracious, and intentionality of His Spirit. Here is what I know to be true, God is the creator of the earth, Christ holds this all together, and the Holy Spirit is the tangible existence of His work. God is interested in the transformational development and the converging story of our communities with His, as it has been since the beginning of time. The modern world has many stories competing for humanities attention. Science claims to understand how the universe works and promises power to master nature. But it remains silent however when asked to provide answers to how the world began, when it will end, and morality. Technology only offers convenience, efficiency, and prosperity. Capitalism places the negative characteristics of the human spirit central to our lives and our desire to be flourishing communities often dissipates. None of these can transform our communities and nations into the just and loving Kingdom God desires- Only He can bring that Kingdom. Modernity has failed to create a story line, and it has no storyteller. The Bible is the narrative of God’s creative and redemptive works in the world. It’s God’s story about what He’s continuing to do. The Biblical story also outs our stories in place by giving us meaning. To pursue human transformations, we must understand where humanity came from, where it is going, and how we can there. For this reason, we must be both Christian (being) and do Christian work (doing) for transformational development to be acting out who we truly are- a balance between being and doing. Development cannot be reduced to simply empowering people with new choices and freedom to decide, but it must reflect God’s relational essence. The process of restoration must be motivated by profound, self-giving loves as it has been modeled to us by Jesus. As Christians, we can’t view the world as a collection of individuals. We need to understand their individual needs, but also understand their relation and embedded- ness in families, communities, and a part of social institutions. We are meant to be in loving, self-giving relationships and be stewards, participating in the continuing process of creation. We are to make contributions that add value. From the creation account in Genesis, we as Christian developers can learn four ethical principles- sharing resources, responsibility to work, expectations of growth, and shared produce. The story of creation does more than explain how and why humans were created, but provides a common foundation for all the beautiful and unique enterprises we call culture…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment