Culture

Culture

[Jesus said,] “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

“YOU MUST BE from the US.” I’d barely said five words, but my accent had given me away. We were in Northern Ireland, Belfast to be precise, and had stopped on a whim at a chocolatier on our way back to our hotel.

“Good guess, yes.” I laughed. “Is my accent that strong?” I pulled cash from my wallet, handing it across the counter.

“Oh, just a wee bit.” He winked as he popped open the cash register.

Just as I tend to forget that I have an accent, I forget that I have a distinct culture with several subcultures, each of which significantly impacts how I engage with others, sometimes in hurtful, negative ways. Mine happens to be Midwestern/Minnesotan, but it’s the same for each of us. We have a culture—with good and bad elements—and it is often such an intimate part of our daily life that we don’t see it until an outsider points it out to us.

It wasn’t until I had several close friendships with women-not-from-here that I started to bump into the less desirable parts of my culture, parts that exclude and isolate outsiders rather than welcome them. Their experiences made me realize that because I belong to this place and to these people, I often don’t see cultural impacts—just like I don’t hear my own accent.

Oh, how I’ve regretted my blindness to the hard parts of my culture! I can embrace the best of my Midwestern, rural upbringing, but as a follower of Christ, it must no longer define me. My decision to follow Jesus brought with it a new, adopted culture, one that calls me to die to myself, living as a new creature according to his way. And that means I must recognize and actively work against subtle behaviors, language, and other cultural tools that make life harder for those who live and work within my culture but are not a part of it.

Lord, show us the hard parts of our culture, the parts that must die as we lay down the old and follow you. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: What do outsiders say about your culture? What negative parts of your culture do you need to actively work against?