How Strong Can We Be Together?

Think Family

We take a huge step forward when we start "teaching people to fish" instead of just "handing out fish" which creates debilitating dependency. But there is a trap we tend to fall into when we suppress our natural tendency to dominate those we take the Gospel to. That trap is to think that INDEPENDENCY is the solution to DEPENDENCY. That makes me think of the climate of the Sub-Sahara Desert where I once lived. It is unbearably hot during the day. The air temperature can easily get up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It makes you dream of being cold - until night comes and the desert sheds its heat like a duck sheds water. Desert nights can be bitterly cold regardless of how hot it was during the day. The answer to "Too Hot" is not "Too Cold" and the answer to "Dependency" is not "Independence." Balance is the solution we need. "Balance" is central to living the Christian life. Unfortunately it is easier to talk about than to achieve. The solution to "Dependency" is "Interdependency." I wish one extreme could solve another extreme because extremes are so much easier to achieve than "Balance." Interdependency in missions is "Balance." But it is very hard to achieve. For one thing, "Balance" means we have to learn to respect people who walk instead of drive, who communicate by sitting down and talking instead of texting or calling, who have to hunt food or harvest it instead of shopping for it at the local grocery store. So, how do Gospel exporters and receivers establish a balance of authority and responsibility in Christ's Great Commission? How do we do ministry in other parts of the world where both senders and receivers work together and depend on each other? I was translating for Eli Catachunga, a friend from the Brazilian Amazon at a large medical conference when he attempted to address this very issue. He held up his left arm and flexed his muscles saying, "You people are strong. You can do things that we (the Ticuna tribe) can't." Then he held up his right arm and flexed that muscle saying, "But we are also strong and can do things you can't." He went on, "I can go 15 days in the jungle without taking anything with me. You can't do that." Then Eli drew an excellent conclusion. Holding up one arm he said, "The question is not are you stronger or," and he lifted his other arm, "are we stronger? The question is how strong can we be together?" And he flexed the muscles in both arms while intertwining his fingers. The picture of Eli intertwining his fingers in front of thousands of the richest, best educated, most organized and technologically advanced people on earth has branded itself in my mind and imagination. Can you think of a missions experience you've had that created dependency? Can you think of a way to rectify that situation? Hint: think family. This article was originally published in the Missions Dilemma Workbook.  

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