Culture and Theology 101

(So I’m finally posting! As you can tell, my access to internet has been limited ever since I moved in with Aunty Sheila. As of December 1 that should change a bit, with us having an internet connection at our home. I look forward to being able to update you all more regularly about what God is doing in my heart while I’m here in India. For now, I’m going to post a couple of things that I’ve written over the last month to catch you up on what’s been going on!)

Written November 1: Everyone has stereotypes about Americans. It’s entirely fair, seeing that Americans have stereotypes about everyone else. In the game of pinning labels on one another, U.S. residents get tagged with characteristics centering around being task-oriented, driven, a go-getter, and being busy. It’s not really a label I would have stuck to myself, though. Oh, I know I love tasks and the lists that accompany them, and I’ll admit I relish the thought of checking a check box and charting my progress. I’ll even admit that I’ve been known to add things to my checklist, after doing them, just so I can check them off. But the real “drive” to accomplish anything and everything, being fanatical about accomplishing tasks…well, I just didn’t see that as me. Until now.

You see, I don’t think it would be possible to maintain sanity and a checklist here in India. Reason number one: electricity. During our day (7 AM until 10 PM), we typically don’t have electricity for 4-8 hours of that time. When inverters (back up power) only will last for 2-4 hours, well, you can see how that might pose a problem to one’s typical working day. Reason number two: things take time. Getting from point A to point B is a difficult proposition in the congestion of Delhi traffic, and the petrol prices discourage long journeys. National holidays, strikes, and problems caused from lack of electricity all contribute to simple tasks (such as running errands, visiting a ministry, etc) take a whole day’s time.

People here are not lacking in character – Brejan, Sibu, and Aunty Sheila are all amazing examples of diligent workers, highly capable, creative, and organized. But when you can’t determine how long a task will take, whether you have the resources (equipment, electricity, information, people) to accomplish it, and you don’t know how you might be asked to serve on a given day, you simply can’t have a checklist. Well, you can have one, but you’ll end up being frustrated at the end of the day.

It’s also not the case that you don’t accomplish anything; it’s that you most likely won’t accomplish what you “planned” to accomplish that day. As an example, some days we get up preparing to go into the office for the morning, run errands in Delhi in the afternoon, then work on the house in the evening. Instead we’ll spend the morning preparing for last minute lunch guests, take a series of counseling phone calls, visit with the guests, work on house projects because the painter came today instead of tomorrow, etc, etc, etc.

The point being – I’ve realized I love my checklists! In this India world I felt list-less (that was for you, Molls). I like being able to accomplish things; I like feeling organized, empowered, and, frankly, in control of my life. The question that came out over and over in my first weeks in India was “What am I doing here?” (emphasis on the doing). Since I wasn’t going pell-mell 24-7, I felt perhaps my ticket had been wasted. What good am I if I can’t be checking off lists? What good am I if I can’t even make the list because I am that clueless about what’s going on and what’s needed? I felt like 100 times a day I was going to Aunty and saying, “Is there anything I can do for you?” “What would you like me to do?” Then I realized that she was grinning every time I used the word “do”.

So, my first weeks with Aunty I sat and rested and thought and read and I began to realize my checklist mentality had affected my spiritual life as well. I like going to God and waving my checklist around. “See what I’ve accomplished. Come on, I really deserve a pat on the back for everything I’ve done!” But in all honesty, one of the reasons I love my checklists is because it helps prove my worth, right? It helps establish my maturity in Christ, my level of spirituality, my commitment to my faith. It’s evidence of obedience and hard work, those little check marks. Right?

Clearly not a good way to be thinking; as I examined my own heart I realized that, though part of my anxiousness to fit in and be serving was born out of an honest desire to love people well and serve Him, the other part of my anxiousness was a desire to simply get something big accomplished for the sake of accomplishment… and my checklist.

So when I sat down to write this blog update, I at first was quite beside myself. What am I going to say I’ve done, I thought. I haven’t really done anything, and (horror of all horrors) I don’t even know if I’m being helpful! But God did something beautiful with my time and with my heart. As I realized my own silly motivations, I began to enjoy the rest time I’d been given and began learning from the different pace of life.

I stopped fretting at our daily interruptions and began to delight in the visits and phone calls we get on a daily basis, a cultural and spiritual lesson. People who are involved in other ministries and churches frequently come into our home to share what God is doing in their ministry, hear what God is going in our ministry, then pray for India and ministry as a whole. It’s not unusual for someone to stop by to say “did you hear what God is doing in the North?” or “I wanted to rejoice with you over God’s protection during your surgery” (to Aunty Sheila). I feel like I’m living in the book of Acts, with intentional Christians who are encouraging one another, praying for one another, and strengthening each others’ faith. How beautiful these believers are!

In the midst of many unknowns, I’ve also seen Christian Indians demonstrate a sweet reliance on prayer and a hearty recognition of the work of the Holy Spirit. Daily plans, cares, worries, and needs are brought before the Lord in prayer; they beseech him for answers and guidance and then quietly wait on Him until He directs. When any opportunity – whether it is what was in mind or not – comes into the picture, they respond with willing obedience.

Personally, I began spending more time in the Word and realized that my appetite for it has increased since I’ve been here. I love God’s Word! I’ve struggled with memorization the past few years but that struggle has been completely taken away. As it’s become more precious to me, I’ve found it easier to hide it in my heart. I’m saddened that my checklist mentality in the past has hindered my time in (and my love for) God’s word; I’m excited that my renewed love for the Word is making me more passionate about obediently and boldly serving Him.

I guess my conclusion is that God’s done a lot; I haven’t crossed off what I thought would be my checklist, but I have visited various ministries and began to gain a more informed compassion for the people here; I’ve dusted and packed and learned to make proper Chai tea; I’ve grown accustomed to a mosquito net on my bed, to chilies in my food, and to military showers; I’ve ridden in rickshaws, seen the Taj Mahal and been to a famous cultural event, the Flower Festival of Delhi (as a VIP… accidentally). I’ve gardened and learned Hindi; I’ve read lots of books, especially biographies; I’ve made a few new friends. I’ve learned I should have brought less clothes for winter, that lunch is the biggest meal, that it can take up to 3 hours to get out of Delhi, and that it takes 3 months to recover from an angioplasty. I’ve been interviewed on national television, fallen down a flight of stairs, learned the intricacies of cricket, and made a cake from scratch in a pressure cooker. I’ve learned to love my India family, Aunty Sheila, Sibu, and Brejan and to speak a smattering of Hindi. I’ve also re-learned that the Word is precious, salvation is astounding, and that it is a necessary understatement to daily declare “to God be the glory, great things he has done!”