Thoughts On The Road
Walking along the street today hearing the Mullah calling the ?faithful' to prayer made me realise yet again just how strong Islam's influence is in this land and in the others where Islam rules. The culture is strong and Islam rules with a strong arm. Turkey is interesting because it so strongly desires to have a place in the western world and yet is reluctant to leave its place in the Islamic world. It also is different in the Islamic world in that it has stability and a government that functions and infrastructure that works. Its constitution is secular its aims integration. It is a bridge that crosses from one to the other and on a secular level, it does this well. But deep down, on a religious and spiritual level, the crossing is more stepping stones than bridge and the river is deep and crossing is dangerous and many fall and are drowned. The thinking is Islam, the way of life is Islamic, it is in the psyche. The police rule punitively and without interference from the government, it is well documented, and none wants to fall foul of them. Whatever theoretical freedoms are enshrined in the constitution carry little weight in practice.
In the west we can wander between bridge and stepping stones, but here, and in the stricter Islamic world, to follow Christ means that a true believer must leave family, friends and familiarity and face the dangers of the river with no lifeline to the bridge above. It is, maybe, the most difficult thing they will ever have to do. The rejection of their past life, the commitment to their new life that impels them to leave the comfort that we all desire, has to be stronger than anything else.
It is not difficult to draw parallels with our Christian walk and the difficulties we struggle with. We waver between wanting to follow Christ and not wanting to leave the things we enjoy and are familiar with. Like them, we can?t shake off our past - or rather we are reluctant to, because it is the basis for who we are. None wants to be stateless. And yet Christ calls us to leave our homes, our families, our comforts and go into a harsh world that will forsake us when the going is tough and we try to stay strong to principles. Is it that we doubt His strength to hold us and keep us? I don?t think so, not really, but rather that we don?t trust ourselves to stay faithful and need to know there is somewhere that we will belong. We all need the affirmation that we are important within the lives we lead, that we. have approval and that we are loved for who we are. To be thrown out of a system we desire to belong to is painful.
And even within our Christian walk we can suffer rejection by those who we considered true friends, and even by family. Betrayal, always painful, becomes even more so when done by those whom we trust. Rejection is a pain that robs us of vitality. It affects us on every level of our emotions. It is destructive. And yet, we shouldn?t be seeking approval on an emotional level, even though this is where we all function, but focus on the reality that our Approver is also the Man who died for us, and is now Lord of our lives and our Redeemer. We must also trust Him that He will give us the friends we need to journey with and the comfort we so strongly desire. Our prayer is that He will carry us over the river and bring us safely to the other side and to His glory.
L.E
From a Sister on welfare work in Turkey
