Welcome to the December 12th edition of Faith & Life Lessons.
You will see this email full of tidbits from my week. My goal is simple. I hope that from how I live my life, you can find a thing or two that helps you as you try to live a life that matters. I am always trying to do one thing - make Christ-focused decisions in love, work, and life. And this was my week.
The Story of My Week
I saw more and more the complexities of working in a culture outside of the one I grew up in.
We had been negotiating a particular transaction with a local bank.
We had all our ducks in a row and we got the head office to sign the agreement they asked for.
On Thursday, I got one of the most amusing pieces of feedback.
According to the bank, because the stamp was placed on the signature of the headquarters director, they could not conclude the transaction.
According to them, the stamp must not cover the signature in any way.
Add to that, they would not accept a signed, stamped, and scanned copy of the agreement. They wanted it signed, stamped, and sent via courier.
It was like traveling back in time. I have become so used to concluding transactions via sending scanned copies of executed agreements.
This was like a time bubble that I wouldn't have believed still existed.
This set the whole transaction back by a week.
Later on Friday, I had lunch with someone who had been working in the country for about 6 years.
We laughed at some of the funnier experiences he had had in this time-displaced country.
We just tell ourselves - it's all part of doing business here.
We learn, live, and adapt.
Things I Learnt
1 - Scripture vs Personal Preference: Someone shared a video of a popular pastor preaching about creating boundaries in the level of financial obligation we take up.
This is especially important when extended family members are involved.
According to him, in the late 1990s, he brought his parents and siblings together to give a limit-order.
He told his parents that he did not have any responsibility towards his siblings such as supporting their education and his obligation to his parents was at his discretion.
He said scriptures did not lay any such obligation on him.
I smiled when he said this.
It's interesting when we try to justify our personal preference with scriptures. There are so many things scripture leaves at your discretion how you want to do it.
For example, scriptures require us to honor our father & mother. How you choose to honor your parents is a matter of preference and conscience.
And it differs according to each person's situation. But there are common things we can agree on.
The pastor's preference on how he wanted to honor his parents should not be seen as prescriptive.
Rather, they are descriptive of his situation. If we had the context of his nuclear family needs, his financial capacity & the situation in his extended family, his line of action could be understood better.
I fear for the next group of people who will take his prescription to action without context and dishonor their parents claiming they are honoring them as this pastor honored his parents.
Only time will tell.
2-Looking God in all the Wrong Places: A lady got baptized in my church. During the sermon, the pastor had her share her stories.
She had come to faith within the last 6 weeks.
According to her, in trying to find spiritual fulfillment, she had dabbled into anything she could reach.
New Age and all forms of spiritual experiences but they didn't fill her.
She was driving when God caught her attention and she started crying. According to her, it must have looked weird to other drivers on the road to see someone just crying on the road.
But she was caught and made her way to faith in Jesus.
It's wonderful to know that God reaches anyone.
No matter how far they may think they have gone.
God can save the long thought lost and bring them home.
If they want to come to him.
Postscript
May the assurance of God's love keep you connected to the faith that you have come to believe in. And may that faith shine to the people around you so they discover the love of God too. Amen
Tata,
Tola - The Everyday Disciple
I help Christians like you who want to live intentional lives incorporate their faith into everyday life so they can make Christ focused decisions in all areas of life and truly live to make an impact and make God happy.
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