This was one of Jesus' common refrains. He would often bring up a common phrase or a piece of scripture and flip it around. He would take it one step further, usually calling out prejudice, unknown biases, and religious laws. With one phrase, he would humble the proud and give hope to the weak.
Yesterday I was at a service with a friend who just moved to Cambodia, the preacher said to talk amongst ourselves about advice we were given when moving here or advice we would give to newcomers. She said that she thought it was important to not immediately view parts of the culture and the country as good or bad, but to first just see them as different. I couldn't agree with her more.
And it got me thinking about how this culture has allowed me to see spirituality and life in an entirely new light. The lifestyle of these people better resembles the culture Jesus would have grown up in, both of these lifestyles a world away from the American culture I grew up in. And while I have only been here a year, I'm glad to say that my view on nearly all parts of life has been turned upside down. Because here life is more than consumption or efficiency, it is about connection and relationship. I have found deeper meaning in every aspect of living through this culture, and I hope it has forever changed me.
So you may have heard it said this way, but after a year in Cambodia I say to you...
You have heard it said that order brings peace, but I say to you that it is in the chaos that we find true meaning and the peace it brings.
You have heard it said that you should first care for you and yours, but I say to you that when you care for the other you will find that others care for you, and we are collectively provided for.
You have heard it said that you are blessed with an easy life, but I say to you that you are cursed with an easy life. Because it is only a crutch that leaves you weaker the longer you rely on it.
You have heard it said that you should always reach for the best, but I say to you that when you avoid the worst you miss out on the growth and all that you could have been.
You have heard it said that your work is what you do in the world, but I say to you that being is what you do in the world, and your work only funds and flows from your being.
You have heard it said that to give love is the highest calling, but I say to you that learning to receive love is the root of it all and the only way to truly give love to others.
