We
are back in South Africa.
Everyone
warned us that it would be a culture shock.
Most
complained about the slow service, the lack of professionalism, the
"non-existent" internet and the high petrol prices. Some said the
truth of poverty and other Third World issues would make us want to fly back to
a life of luxury and careless oblivion. Others shared photos of their
experiences while travelling the world, remembering the “good old days” of long
holidays and 5* hotels. They begged us not to leave London until we were
satisfied that we saw everything we wanted to see, because if we came back,
life would be completely different.
Surprisingly I didn't experience the culture shock they were referring to. I came back to a country of mountains and meat, laughter and sun, freedom and waves. The nature is breath-taking, the opportunities endless. People are friendly and relaxed with open hearts and wide smiles. What an amazing country...a country rich with colour and full of wonderful flavours!
Adventures are everywhere.
The
one moment I will be at a wine tasting on a beautiful farm, choking on a piece
of cheese, trying not to look drunk....the next I will watch the Aussie cricket
team recover from a fatal first innings against the Proteas. I experience a
well balanced mix of seriousness and fun in Cape Town. The one moment I will prepare for an
interview, the next I will be on a beach in Noordhoek trying to get rid of my
"Snow-White" look.
Wonderful
moments....
But
I also realise that I have changed and therefore my context has changed. Most
things are still the same, yet I feel different, and now everything around me
seems different. I am so aware of the sacrifice I’ve made to give up my culture
for a few years, especially when I meet old friends. When I try to participate
in conversations I somehow mourn the loss of the person I once was, because we
have the old in common. Yet I feel grateful for not being the same. I somehow
want to explain to everyone that I am different, even though I can't always
find the words. It is as if I look at
the world through a lens of sacrificial love. A love beyond everything I was
use to, beyond the comfortable luxuries of my culture.
My time in London made me a foreigner of my
own culture in many ways.
When
I first arrived in the UK I quickly learned to let go of my South African
mentality. I was a foreigner and I was well aware of it. I knew that if I
wanted to relate to others, I had to do things the way they did things. Each
country has its own laws. Some laws do not always make sense, but it is laws I
had to obey to enjoy my stay in London. Some people were surprised when they
first discovered these laws. If you travel to London, for example, you won't be
liked if you wait on the right side of the escalator. I still don't know why
it's not the left, all I know is that people will not appreciate your
pro-activeness if you stand on the right, even if you are from Africa – where
no-one cares where you stand. London is
also serious about certain things, like “minding the gap” before getting off
the train. And you have to “mind the gap” even if you can't see it.
Also, if you're a morning person and you're on
the Tube, keep it to yourself. Friendliness is not an admirable characteristic
at 7h00 in the morning. Brits are not loud or disruptive and will not engage in
meaningless conversations just because they have nothing else to do. They count
their words, and only say what is necessary. For some South Africans this is a
bitter pill to swallow, and they learn the hard way. They quickly learn they
have to adapt to survive.
I
also swallowed a few bitter pills....
Through
trial and error I’ve realised that if I wanted to conform to the British
culture, I had to become part of the way the citizens did things. It became
apparent that I had to empower myself to know the laws of the country, and in
doing so I empowered myself to help the lost sheep, wandering along not knowing
where to go or what to do. Some foreigners did not always know all the laws,
and it took me a while to realise that it was my responsibility to find out
what was expected of me.
I
also learned that it doesn't matter how much you disagree with the culture,
your opinion won't count. No-one will listen to your philosophies of "how
to change systems and procedures." The culture was there before you were
born, and will be there when you die. If you do not have the authority or
position to change things, you won't. And unfortunately only the Queen and the
Prime Minister have that privilege.
This
made me think of when I moved from spiritual countries.....
When
I became born-again I moved from the country of darkness to the country of
Light. I had certain ways of doing things before I gave my life to Christ, but
now I have to follow the laws of the country of Light. Some of these laws do
not always make sense. I still don't understand why Jesus decided to use the
church to make known His manifest wisdom, all I know is that it is a Kingdom
order, and not something I want to speak against. I would rather like to be
part of God’s spiritual family and love and care for His people, even if
they’re not perfect.
I
still don't know why some Shepherds fall in sin, but I do know that the laws of
the kingdom want me to pray for my authority, so that I can daily walk in
forgiveness and truth and be free from
offense and judgment.
Some
South Africans still don’t understand why the rich has no compassion for the poor.
But they forget that they too were once part of the kingdom of darkness where
they only lived for themselves, and not for others.
I
can write about the sowing and reaping principle all I want, but to be
empowered as a citizen of the kingdom of light I have to walk in the law,
understand it, apply it and grow in it. The Kingdom was there before I was born
and will be there when I die.
Sometimes
these basic laws of kingdom living get challenged. Most people run after
immediate results, which often make the choice to live according to the laws of
the kingdom frustrating and worthless.
Everywhere I go I hear futile conversations about “new systems and
procedures” to help the church become more effective, which always sounds good,
but most of the time birth rebellion, because it directly opposes the kingdom
and leads to lawlessness.
When
I became born again I gave up everything to become a citizen of the Kingdom of
God. Throughout the Gospels you will find the laws that govern the culture of
those who decide to make the Lord Jesus their Saviour. These laws were put in
place so that we could have a life of safety and serenity. Scripture,
unfortunately also warns against those who hear the laws of the Kingdom, but
still choose not to obey.
I gave up my culture when I moved to the Kingdom of Light. I decided to love the citizens and the King more than I love my own way of doing things. Sometimes I still mourn the loss of the old Laetitia who died when I gave my life to Christ, and there are days when I struggle to obey the laws of my new kingdom, because it does not always make sense. I daily mourn the loss of my own philosophies of how to change “systems and procedures,” and I have to continually realign my life with kingdom values. Mostly I become aware of the fact that I don't have the authority or the position to change the rules of the Kingdom, because I am not the King, and therefore I have to let go. I also have to continually redefine my role in God’s Kingdom to serve and love those around me, not clinging unto fleshly desires of comfort and luxury like I did in my old country.
But
I quickly celebrate my salvation again and the amazing benefits the Kingdom has
to offer when I realise that I am accepted and loved by Jesus Christ. He
welcomed me in His country and declared that I am no longer a foreigner, but a
daughter of the Most High. The Kingdom culture is amazing. The peace of God
governs your life. You no longer have to strive, live in fear, failure or
rejection. God gave Himself for you, so that you can embrace His goodness and
live in a Kingdom of joy. You can be part of a culture of serving a wonderful
God who gave His life for you so that you can enjoy life with Him.
Rom 12:1-3
(Message) says:
So here's what I want you to do, God helping
you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work,
and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what
God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so
well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
Instead, fix your attention on God and His Kingdom. You'll be changed from the
inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to
it. Unlike the culture (of darkness) around you, always dragging you down to
its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed
maturity in you.
