Protecting Ourselves At All Costs

Missionaries who come from the western world to serve in developing countries quickly get the feeling of being victimized and used by the people whom they have come to serve.  Relationships start developing and they quickly learn that the intentions of many friendships are for some type of personal gain.  This leads most missionaries to go thru a period or lifetime of culture shock, resentment, and cynicism.  I feel like it is fair to mention that the feelings are often mutually experienced by our host culture. Just switch out a missionary's frustration of being used for “financial gain” for the impression of being used as “material for a newsletter” or the “token national partner.”

Relationships are messy things within our own culture.  Mix in different world-views and emotional responses and you can end up with quite a mess.  

I find that as a method of coping many of us turn to “protecting ourselves” at all costs.  We withdraw.  We put up walls.  In any way possible we keep ourselves from being hurt or taken advantage of by others.  Wisdom and discretion (which are necessary and needed) start morphing into paranoia and withdrawal.

*On a personal note--this withdrawal probably developed even faster for myself as our very first friend Tanzanian friend ended up stealing our teammates car at the local grocery store and attempted to steal ours.  We were later chased down by police warning us that he and his friends were trying to poison our well to kill our family.  "They are very dangerous people" we were told. This was all within our first two months in country.   

We have all watched this happen.  Men and women who have come to serve begin to develop into paranoid and isolated leaders with ministries looking more like a continual job-interview and spiritual testing ground than love.  I don’t believe that any missionary intends for this to happen.  I believe that it is derives from being repeatedly hurt and deceived without having equipped ourselves with a proper biblical view of this type of suffering.  We see it as a cultural battle that we must fight to win rather than a God-ordained opportunity to practice loving those who don’t necessarily love us back.

I think this kind of defense is great for both self and material-preservation.  The problem is that it looks nothing like the perfect example Jesus’ ministry on earth.

Jesus came from perfection and left His perfect dwelling place to come to earth.  This is unlike America, which some equate with perfection.  His every thought and intention was perfect.  He entered into his new culture, earth, already knowing the outcome.  He knew the pain in which he was entering.  He came anyway. 

He left his Father and his heavenly dwelling for a life of pain, suffering, temptation, discomfort, and sin. He knew that it would end in his death.  He left anyway. 

He knew every single thought of those around him.  He lowered himself to wash their feet.  He knew every selfish aspiration that raced through their brains.  He washed anyway.

The leper came with one intention; to be healed.  He didn’t come to hear the gospel or praise the name of Jesus.  He wanted healing.  He was coming to Jesus only for “medical care”.  Jesus healed anyway.

He reclined at the table and ate with tax collectors and their friends, knowing perhaps that very day they had robbed their community.  The Pharisees questioned Jesus for eating with such sinners.  He ate anyway.

The Scribes and Pharisees were outraged that he would heal the withered hand of a man on the Sabbath day.  The Bible tells us that Jesus knew their thoughts and their schemes.  They wanted to find reasons to accuse him. He knew that helping this man would further their hatred and their plots against him.  He knew what the “spiritual leaders” would think about his compassionate act.  He had compassion anyway. 

In that same chapter Jesus shocks us by his counterintuitive and somewhat outrageous commands, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your good do not demand them back.  And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.  If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?  Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

As they gathered around the dead body of Jairus’s daughter Jesus said, “do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping”. The parents of this girl along with Peter and John and James, Jesus’ best friends, laughed at Jesus.  He didn’t get angry or question their laughter.  He didn’t retract his compassion because of their behavior.  He took her hand, saying, “Child, arise” and he healed her anyway.

Multitudes of desperate people surrounded Jesus.  He welcomed them.  He spoke to them.   He taught them.  They were hungry.  The need was overwhelming.  The disciples said to him “send the crowd away”.  Jesus fed them.  The very next day he heard the unbelief of his disciples as they sat in a boat arguing and worrying about not having enough bread to eat.  Jesus heard this and rebuked them for their lack of faith.  They had just seen his miraculous feeding of over 5,000 people with seven loaves and two small fish.  How could they have such small faith after what they had seen?  Jesus didn’t walk away looking for better and more faithful followers.  He was patient with their spiritual immaturity.  He loved them and taught them anyway.   

Think about how it felt for Jesus to tell the disciples about his upcoming death only to hear them arguing about who among them was the greatest?  This is about the point where most of us would have turned in our resignation from ministry.  They would have been such annoying and self-focused people to do ministry among, right?  But Jesus gently taught them.  He didn’t leave them and claim them as hardened or unreachable.  He loved them anyway.

Jesus sat and broke bread with his disciples.  He continued to love, teach and serve them as they once again argued about who was the greatest among them.  He knew the plot that Judas had already made to deliver him up to death on the cross.  Jesus continued once again to teach his disciples how to serve and love.  He didn’t leave them.  He knew they would deny him.  Jesus still loved them.  He wasn’t guessing at their impure motives; he knew them completely.  Betrayed with a kiss from the man that he had served and loved.  He gave his life up for him anyway.

Jesus was then mocked, beaten, blindfolded and struck.   He was innocent, yet accused.  He was nailed to the cross.  He watched as they mocked him, divided up his clothes, scoffing and taunting.  In the midst of this he cried out “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He forgave us anyway.

The truth is that our hearts are all filled with bad intentions.  None of us seek to serve God like we should.   Instead of trying to protect ourselves so tirelessly from the potential bad motives or selfish intentions of the people in whom we serve we should take a look at the Master in whom we serve; remembering that all ground is equal at the foot of the cross.  We are guilty but forgiven; selfish yet loved, prideful yet served, broken yet healed, poor...yet made rich by His grace.  

Can you imagine what would happen if missionaries emulated the love, humility and compassion of Christ’s ministry on earth?  We would be hurt.  Oh, we would be used.  We would be judged by our “spiritually and culturally mature” co-laborers who scoff that "we just don't get it yet".  It will confuse and shock others to see the love and mercy of Christ flow toward the completely undeserving….just like it is supposed to.