Many of us know the passage in Luke 14 where Jesus gives instructions to his disciples about where to sit when they are invited somewhere: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited……..”
This post today is not a treatise or teaching about that passage but more of a humorous experience I had recently that showed me something about myself. For the past two decades when I go to celebrations for friends from other cultures, I have followed this advice by waiting to be shown where to sit.
Each culture has different traditions for showing honor, so I have practiced a version of the advice Jesus gives when I attend any kind of celebration with other cultures ie Hispanic, Vietnamese, Yazidi, Korean, Arab, Brazilian, etc. My habit has been to arrive and let them show me where I should be seated. Sometimes it is with the grandparents, who speak little or no English so the conversation depends on how many words I know in their language 🙂 , sometimes it is with other American guests, the decision of where I sit differs depending on the culture and type of celebration.
That is why I arrive and mingle and stand a bit until someone involved with the planning comes up to me to show me where to sit. As the teacher in some cultures, it is important for them to show me honor. In other cultures they want me to feel comfortable, so I am seated with other Americans or young people from their culture who speak English. This has been my life for two decades.
On Saturday, I went to a wedding and reception for an American friend from my church. The wedding was wonderful and I was glad to be there. The funny part came at the reception. Because maybe 90% of my time is spent with other cultures, I rarely go to such celebrations for Americans, even though I am one, and I slip in and out of various cultures many times daily, so I got stuck at the reception. I stood there wondering, “Where do I sit?” waiting for someone to tell me where to go.
After I got home, I laughed about it and realized something. I have been so multicultural the last two decades that an American celebration confused me for a brief minute until a friend asked me if I wanted to sit with them. 🙂
Yes, I am a U.S. citizen. Yes, I was born here. Yes, I have lived here all of my life the majority of it in Lincoln. Yes, I speak English. Yes, I am an American. BUT- because of God’s grace in leading me to my work and ministry, culturally speaking I have become diverse and sometimes relate better with other cultures than I do with my fellow Americans.
It could get confusing,
but for me not when I am with other cultures. In Brazil they have a saying, ‘esta é minha praia’ this is my beach, meaning this is my comfort zone and area of expertise. It is when I am with other cultures that I say, ‘esta é minha praia’
Next time I am at a celebration for American friends, I will just sit somewhere and not stand there like a zombie. 🙂 or like I need a compass 🙂
Just curious if there are cultures you enjoy?
Jesusluvsall's Blog 
Leave a comment