My new metaphor

---

In light of recent events, it should be noted that I'm safe and healthy. I hope the same can be said for everyone at home. Know that I'm praying for you all and love you all. Now I'm going to give you a peak inside my brain. The following is my journal entry from a couple days ago.

The Kenyan roadways are some of the most inefficient I've ever seen. They may be worse than Cairo or India. The highways out of town are all 2 lane. They have NO traffic signals just roundabouts. They have random speed bumps. The drivers don't follow any rules. They pass on the left or right. They drive on sidewalks, cut people off, cut thru gas stations. They will do anything. The maintenance of the roads leaves much to be desired. They have potholes galore and the only repair is dumping gravel into them. Unfortunately, they do this during the day and close 1 lane of a 2 lane highway. Add all this together and you have a royale mess.

The American roadways are some of the most efficient I've ever see. Interstate, traffic lights, competant drivers, road repairs. It appears to be the model standard. But behind the veneer, Americans are addicted to oil and cities have horrible traffic. Additionally, American driving increases laziness and can disconnect people. The system is flawed. American infrastructure should NOT be the model for Kenyan infrastructure because it is flawed. Kenya should NOT look like America. America should NOT look like Kenya. They both need to be modeled after a PERFECT standard.

Mathari should NOT look like America. America should NOT look like Mathari. They are both flawed societies even though their flaws are radically different. They need to be modeled after a PERFECT standard. The Bible, through various authors and books, calls for us to be holy, set apart, living by the Spirit. Jesus when he teaches us to pray says, 'Thy kingdom com, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' NOT as it is in America or Mathari. Heaven is the PERFECT standard. So in trying to minister or do missions work in Mathari or anywhere in the world, I need to stop using America as the standard. It's NOT that things shouldn't change in Mathari. The place has plenty of flaws and injustices. It's just that Mathari should NOT ever look like America. America has plenty of its own flaws. I must cast my American paradigm to the side completely and adopt a heavenly paradigm.

Thanks for reading and sharing in my thoughts. I'd love to hear what you all think. It's certainly a work in progress.

---

Comments

[dad]

this is a great insight. I wish everyone could finally "get it" in regard to the world and their cultures and societies. I would like every Sociology instructor at Christian Colleges to read this. God's Kingdom ALWAYS has to be our standard. It is so.....hard to do that because we are all like frogs in warm water.....you can finally boil us and we won't even realize it.......in other words, we get so acustomed to our culture that we think this is the way God wants things to be.....and it is NOT. May He help us to think like he thinks and see things like he sees things.......with the Holy Spirits help.... I think we can. The disciples were able to see like God after pentecost.......as seen by the writings of Peter, Paul, etc. in the N.T. We should expect the same. No excuses for us. I pray that God will give you His mind, His eyes, His heart, His soul and you will be His hands. love you and miss you.....but thrilled that you are serving Him. That is what pleases us. Be safe and be wise. Dad