Where do you get your significance?
Since I am driving this bus, let me narrow down the topic to two nations: America and Africa. You know where America gets it’s significance. It’s written all over the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. A common thread that runs throughout American history is the RIGHT of the INDIVIDUAL! Add to that the fact that America is primarily a PROTESTANT nation and you have a formula for disaster.
Disaster? How can that be?
Most of what I know of Africa from a purely empirical approach comes from my time in the nation of South Africa, the rest comes from an historical study. However, in Africa the TRIBE comes first, the individual second. If you are a typical native African, your significance come from being a member of a TRIBE.
In America, it is way too much about ME, what is MINE, and how I can accomplish MY dreams. From there it rolls downhill in a pity party if MY expectations are not met, and the rest of the time is spent preoccupied with our psychological hurts, wounds, and numerous needs. When our needs get drowned out by another person’s noise, we just scream a little louder.
You can see this happen on many a church P&W team on any given Sunday (sound like a movie?). Each musician wants to be heard, but heard over all others- individualism. Can you say ego? So, they turn up the volume on their amplifiers, which causes others to do the same, and before long you’re into the triple digit decibels, and people start hoding their ears.
Can I get a witness?
I will never lose sight of the picture of a turtle on a fence post with the caption below, “You know I didn’t get here alone”. Nor will I ever forget that Christ died for ALL, that we might be ONE. Becoming lost within a family, a business, a church, or any endeavor just isn’t American. Unfortunately, neither is it true Christianity.
What group are you serving in without asking for attention?
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