Cultures – yours and theirs

Have you visited another country or a different region in your own country? Have you told others about the cultural differences you discovered?

Cultures are interesting! Countries have a culture. Sports teams have a culture. Cities have cultures. Families have their own unique cultures.

Your culture isn't right and other cultures wrong; they are just different.

How you learn to accept cultural differences will significantly affect how impactful you will be in serving beyond your community or region.

However, you may be one of those people who doesn't like change.

If you are with a sportsperson in an emerging sport, it is best not to mention your negative views toward that new sports culture. If you are called to serve in sports, your role isn't to judge which sports cultures are good or bad; your calling is to serve.

When you travel, you always enter a new culture. I was with a team of five professional athletes who had completed a mission in the host country and needed a second car to carry everyone to the airport for a 6 am flight. The required second car belonged to a family who couldn’t be communicated with in familiar ways. Had the message reached the family?

This planning was so contrary to the culture of the five professionals and caused them great anxiety. Would they miss their flight? Ten minutes later, the daughter in the family drove up with the car.

Everything was okay. Their culture worked just fine!

Scripture to ponder – Romans 14:10

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.

Key Lesson: Your culture isn't right, and another culture wrong. Each culture is merely different. If you learn to live this way, your impact will be far more significant.