Why oh Wai?

I think God loves that we’re different.

He, after all, created our differences.

God loves culture.

When we make Him Lord over our lives, we don’t need to lose our cultural distinctiveness. When living cross-culturally, we need to remember one culture is no better than another. God wants our hearts, and is the One who changes our behaviour. He teaches us truth, and He loves what makes us unique because He created that. So why oh why is missions so self-centered? We come with a domineering heart that says these people are backward and must change.

The wai is a beautiful greeting. The problem is when we look at the handshake as a superior greeting and don’t  love the culture we come to as guests.

Missions is about pointing people to Jesus. If you’re coming to offer humanitarian aid, or just for an adventure, though those are good, when you’re not telling others about Jesus and giving Him glory, your efforts are useless - they aren't enough to bring change.  What makes Christianity different is that our God came to us, not by our own goodness,  but out of His unfathomable love for us.  The heart of missions is to speak truth to people, not to change who they are. Your ‘why’ is hurtful when you judge someone’s cultural norms. Your ‘wai’ is meaningless when you aren’t pointing people to the God who loves them.