God's ongoing work (39/100)

Began reading again: Ministering Cross-Culturally: An incarnational model for personal relationship by Ligenfelter and Mayers.Coming back to books the way I have been doing lately makes the transformational changes in my life more evident.

The authors describe cross-cultural ministry as "any ministry in which one interacts with people who have grown up learning values and lifestyle patterns that are different from one's own." They go onto explain different aspects of culture and how we each become unique cultural beings. As ministers in a cross-cultural setting we need to do what Jesus did and be incarnational  (i.e., displaying a willingness to begin to learn as if we are helpless children). They propose that this begins by recognizing our own cultural context (biases). They provide an assessment for determining this that gives an approximate representation of the motivations behind an individual's actions within his or her culture. The results are presented as contrasting traits with concurrent forces pulling in different but not necessarily opposite directions.

The traits presented are:

• time orientation versus event orientation
• task orientation versus person orientation
• dichotomistic thinking versus holistic thinking
• status focus versus achievement focus
• crisis orientation versus non-crisis orientation
• concealment of vulnerability versus willingness to expose vulnerability

Unfortunately, I do not have my previous results, but looking at my current ones makes me aware of the changes God has been at work performing in my life. Tendencies that were most likely present before are now woven deeply into who I am. Since my current journey is about living into who God has made me to be, these results bring greater clarity in understanding. But they also reveal why I struggle in some of my current circumstances where those with opposing traits try to press me into their orientations. Likewise, I think, when I am sensing internal tension it may be due to one of these opposing traits resisting my natural tendencies.

These thoughts cause me to pause and realize how as God is continually at work transforming me into the image of Christ; he is also in the process of developing and refining the expression of that transformation .

For now, this expression occurs in the context of one who is strongly person oriented, emphatically non-crisis oriented, absolutely willing to expose vulnerability, and completely holistic in thinking. This one however lives daily in the tension of status focus versus achievement focus while struggling also with the priority of time versus event. I'm sure none of these are surprises to my friends, but to me the strong presence of my dominate traits knowing the way I used to function serves as testimony to God's continuing grace at work in my life for this is how he has made me to be. (As I type this I realize to my dismay my bias.)

This internal check reminds me, however, that is not how he has made everyone.  My reflexive response of viewing person orientation, vulnerability, and holistic thinking as THE way to be reveals my biases. The traits are neither good nor bad, they just are.The person who is task oriented, dichotomistic, and concealing by nature who is pursuing Jesus and expressing who he has made them to be is equally displaying God's glory and grace. It's just harder for me to see this through my own cultural lenses, but by God's grace and continuing work I will grow in this as well, displaying love to my brothers and sisters who operate from these differing traits.