Straight-Forward Fallenness

Tom at ceremony

A few weeks ago I was invited to an English ceremony.  I have been to so many English ceremonies over the years on the islands, so that now they rarely make an impression anymore.  Usually there are speeches about the importance of learning English, how helpful it is for gaining things in this life like a good education, better networks, and savvier business dealings.  But I was struck by the wording of the 14 year old girl who stood up to give her speech in English.  Her friend stood by her translating each sentence into the island language so that the parents and friends could understand what she had to say. 

“English is so important for education,” she began.  I had heard this kind of speech before.  “We all know,” she said, “that the most important thing in this life is to find money so that you can buy things like a house, car, clothes, or anything you want.  English will help you to do that.”  I listened, somewhat dumb-struck as I watched people nod in approval, shout amen and applaud her answer.  No one disagreed. Everyone was on the same page. Then the moment passed.  The speaker praised her teachers and parents and classmates.  The ceremony continued. 

Students at ceremony

A perspective that demonstrated such lostness, such fallen thinking had just been accepted by everyone. As a westerner, I tend to assume that everyone knows that you can’t say that money is the most important thing is life— you have to say something inherently good like God, love, or peace…

Have you ever noticed how good we are at saying the “right” answer even if we don’t believe it?  So many times we put on a mask, we say the things we imagine people want us to say or what we have been taught is the right answer.

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it,” we learn at an early age.  But that doesn’t stop plenty of us from taking pleasure in the opportunity to say a scathing remark, whether for a laugh or for sheer pleasure of it. We remember the maxims but don’t necessarily live by it.   Many might agree with Anne Frank’s words that, “Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness.”  And yet so many of the “great ones” go unrecognized by our society.  And then, of course, most of us would never claim that the most important thing is money, but our daily lives may show a different story.

If we are honest with ourselves, there is a great deal of hypocrisy in our Western society.  We say one thing, but do another.  It is one thing to know the right answer and another thing to live by it.  But imagine if we didn’t know the “right” answers.  What if our words actually lined up with our actions?

Our son turns 7!

In some things, islanders don’t even know that their thinking isn’t “right”.  I remember the day I understood enough of the island language to realize people were talking about me, gossiping about me in my presence.  “Good,” said my language helper, “now you will be able to understand when people are talking about you and they won’t be able to do it anymore.”  I remember the day my son came home from school telling me that his classmate hit him. When the teacher heard what had happened he told my son to hit his classmate back. I thought I had gotten used to this straight-forward fallenness, but it has been two weeks since that 14 year old gave her speech. Yet, her words remain with me.  “The most important thing in this life is to find money.”  If we are honest, there are PLENTY of people in the West who believe just the same as this girl, but they would be unlikely to say it. That’s not the ‘right’ answer. To hear it so plainly stated and plainly accepted brings sorrow to my heart.  “It is NOT the most important thing.”  I want to shout, “It will leave you empty and dead.  There is only one thing that will give you life.”  But who will listen?

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Today is a big island holiday remembering how God provided the sacrifice to Abraham. We thank God for His provision and for the opportunity to live and serve on the islands. The video conferencing with the language consultant went well this past week. Also audio recording of the translation of the first book is going well. Our youngest son had his 7th birthday this past week— we are thankful for him!


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our teammate was studying with a group of neighbor women until a key woman left suddenly to the other side of the island. This woman has just returned and hopefully they will restart their studies together this week. Pray that their study would go well and that more women would become engaged in what they are learning. One of our teammates is sick, pray for her quick recovery. Megan’s back has developed a painful twinge the past couple days— pray that it would resolve quickly and not become a bigger problem. Tom had brought an island brother to meet with the group of men who are seeking— this has turned into a good connection and the island brother continued to engage with the group even when Tom was away. We pray that God might use this island brother to help the group overcome some of their remaining obstacles.