A lesson in Ethnocentrism

It always amazes me how God uses common life instances to teach his children valuable lessons. This happened to me the other day at work. Some of our clients were discussing a past trip to Thailand, and sort of complaining about how different the food was, when one of them interjected "Even the KFC wasn't the same!"

It took all I had to keep my mouth shut (those of you who know me understand that this is quite the feat for me) but I was thinking, well of couse it didn't! You're in a different country! It's going to be different!

Our nation is so ehtnocentric. We generally expect America to be there whereever we go. We want people to speak English becuase that's what we speak (this is in NO way about the immigrants learning language issue. I am SOLELY talking about Americans traveling to other countries.) We expect the food to taste like ours, becuase that is what we are used to. We are used to our customs, our traditions, our food, our clothing, our speech...and we get uncomfortable when those things are challenged, even when we are traveling to a different country!

Dear readers, this should not be. How dare we expect to go to a foreign country and have their KFC taste like ours! This ethnic self-centered is inbred in us, and I am begging you to recognize it and work towards ridding ourselves it.

How can we possible be the light of God in the world if we aren't willing to adjust to new customs and tastes, even if they might not be our preference?

Dear friends, I am asking you to pray for me and my fellow team members as we head to Romania that we would check our Ethnocentric ideas at the door of JFK, not to pick them up upon return, but to make way for the changes and work God wants to do in our lives. Pray that we will all be open to the new experiences that come from being in a different country, whether that come from the confusion of needing an interpreter, the tiredness of keeping up with customs totally foreign us, or yes, my biggest fear, eating food that we normally would not eat.

Calling for an end to the self-centered attitude while traveling abroad,
Ali