Last night at Bible class with Adam Byrnes, we looked at what it feels like to be a 3rd culture child and how hard it is to be caught between cultures. We discussed a poem by Whitni Thomas, called Colours.
I grew up in a Yellow country
But my parents are Blue.
I'm Blue.
Or at least, that is what they told me.
But I play with the Yellows.
I went to school with the Yellows.
I spoke the Yellow language.
I even dressed and appeared to be Yellow.
Then I moved to the Blue land.
Now I go to school with the Blues.
I speak the Blue language.
I even dress and look Blue.
But deep down, inside me, something's Yellow.
We looked at the character Moses who was born an Israelite, adopted by an Egyptian princess, nursed by an Israelite and taught in the courts of the Egyptians. He was given an Israelite name and then an Egyptian name. Later on, after being brought up with all the wealth of being a 'prince' in Egypt, he had to make a choice.
Heb 11:26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
Moses did ultimately make this choice but his journey wasn't an easy one. He was a third culture kid, caught between two worlds. At the time he made his choice, he was still fairly spiritually immature (considering he was just about to murder someone!)
Whilst out in the wilderness, he called his son 'refugee'. He felt lost and caught, unsure of his identity. We can all identify with this as moments in our lives, we struggle to confirm our identity and we struggle to make choices between what 'culture' we are in. Are with in a godly culture or are we in a culture of the world?
When he came back to Egypt, he asked Pharaoh to let MY people go. Finally, he had begun to identify with his people and with his God. He had begun to understand that 'God, You are...therefore I AM'. Moses began as a shepherd and became a deliverer. He was a refugee and went to the land of milk and honey.
It is fundamental we decide who we are. Am I with God or not? What is my personal identity?
Phil 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
At the most, the longest we will live is about 90 years old. In the end our personal identify won't matter. Because forget online identify theft, the grave is the biggest theft of identify. So, today we need to make the choice. What colour are you? Will you live in a blue city or a yellow city?
Heb 11:9-10 By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents...for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.