Sample Reflection:
Different Cultural Lenses
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
ROMANS 12:10
Christian values are the same the world over, but how these values are expressed often differs from culture to culture. Take compassion, for instance. Christians everywhere know the meaning of compassion. How we show our compassion, however, may differ because of cultural values that come into play.
Last year, for example, we went to the hospital to visit an elderly member of our congregation. As we entered the small hospital room, the patient’s husband held her hand affectionately and told us, “We thought the cancer had returned, but the diagnostic tests show that everything is clear! My wife will be going home tomorrow.” How relieved we were to hear this good news.
A month later, however, word came that our friend’s wife had died of cancer. We were shocked and immediately questioned the validity of the diagnostic tests. Only then did the husband admit to us that the tests had diagnosed her cancer accurately. He explained that he had kept it a secret from his wife so that she wouldn’t worry.
The wife, it turns out, had been equally compassionate toward her spouse. Even though her husband knew that she was failing fast, her death had come as a surprise to him that morning - but not to their daughter. The wife had told their daughter that she didn’t expect to live through the night but had warned her not to tell her father because she didn’t want him to worry or lose sleep.
As an American, I found this confusing. To me, sharing their pain together openly and honestly would have been the most compassionate thing to do. To them and to many other Indonesians like them, protecting others from the truth is often the most compassionate thing they feel they can do.
FOR REFLECTION
Help us not to fear our differences but to try to understand them and honor them, recognizing that diversity can enrich us and strengthen our relationships.
Different Cultural Lenses
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
ROMANS 12:10
Christian values are the same the world over, but how these values are expressed often differs from culture to culture. Take compassion, for instance. Christians everywhere know the meaning of compassion. How we show our compassion, however, may differ because of cultural values that come into play.
Last year, for example, we went to the hospital to visit an elderly member of our congregation. As we entered the small hospital room, the patient’s husband held her hand affectionately and told us, “We thought the cancer had returned, but the diagnostic tests show that everything is clear! My wife will be going home tomorrow.” How relieved we were to hear this good news.
A month later, however, word came that our friend’s wife had died of cancer. We were shocked and immediately questioned the validity of the diagnostic tests. Only then did the husband admit to us that the tests had diagnosed her cancer accurately. He explained that he had kept it a secret from his wife so that she wouldn’t worry.
The wife, it turns out, had been equally compassionate toward her spouse. Even though her husband knew that she was failing fast, her death had come as a surprise to him that morning - but not to their daughter. The wife had told their daughter that she didn’t expect to live through the night but had warned her not to tell her father because she didn’t want him to worry or lose sleep.
As an American, I found this confusing. To me, sharing their pain together openly and honestly would have been the most compassionate thing to do. To them and to many other Indonesians like them, protecting others from the truth is often the most compassionate thing they feel they can do.
FOR REFLECTION
- What problems arise when we see the world through our own cultural lenses?
- How do cultural differences impact the work of the church internationally?
- What problems are apt to arise when churches send volunteer missionaries overseas on short-term assignments with little or no cross-cultural training?
Help us not to fear our differences but to try to understand them and honor them, recognizing that diversity can enrich us and strengthen our relationships.