Cultures Apart

Today I am not happy with myself.  I ran into a friend at Starbucks this morning and missed my chance to bless him with no strings attached.  You know, one of those just because moments.  For some reason his credit card wasn’t going through, so instead of offering to pay, like Pastor Troy has been preaching about, I just stood there in wonderment anticipating my drink and thinking about the pressing appointment on my mind. 

As a Christian it frustrates me when people misunderstand the message of Jesus, and yet, sometimes this miscommunication comes directly from me.  We are cultures apart it seems, and it frustrates me.  God, in His sovereignty, has given me a practical way to influence others through Pastor Troy’s message, and I didn’t even make an attempt.  I believe this may be one of the great misunderstandings in the church.  God speaks to us through the Spoken Word, and for some reason it never settles.

Living in another country has taught me a lot about not understanding a culture at the onset.  Like why they drive on the other side of the road; why they pronounce words differently; or why they have a tea time in the middle of a sports game.  At first I just didn’t get it, but after following these ways for a while it just became the norm.  I wonder if at times we [the church] are the foreigners to the things of God.  He may drive on the wrong side of the road.  The words He uses don’t sound the same or the ways in which He uses they are different.  And His tea time we just don’t get.  What a sad misunderstanding this may be.  Sure, I get fumed with other people missing the mark, but how does God feel when I screw the pooch?  Am I cultures apart from God or did I just have an off day?