I (Lila) was faced with an interesting "dilemma" the other day. While at the airport going through a line, a young monk was walking the opposite direction towards me. In Thai culture, it is forbidden for a monk to have any direct physical contact with a woman or it is considered unclean. These includes even "brushing past" each other. So with the crowd, only one of us could pass through while the other must step back . So who gives way to who? The pregnant woman or the young monk?
I ended up stepping back, In Thailand, Buddhism is very strong and monks are highly respected and given priority treatment wherever they go. As a foreigner, I try to be respectful of the cultural traditions and customs of our host country but honestly, I did have a short thought beforehand thinking that I should stare him down and demand he step back and give way to the 30 week pregnant woman waddling around.
Now, I'm sure if I did wait a bit, he would have stepped back. He was a young man and all Thais are very polite but later, I did reflect on my action and attitude and was reminded a bit about how this situation ties into our current life being here sharing God's love. As we share the gospel, it is not with an approach that we get our way all the time but sometimes, we need to recognize that we must take the step back or humble ourselves to show the true love of God. We could even be in the "right" but that is not always for us to demand and show. Even with Jesus who "did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom" (Mt 20:28), I'm reminded, even when we see no fruit or responses, it is my heart attitude and service God sees. And sometimes, it about taking that step back so God can do the work first. And I take joy and peace in that.
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