If we needed to sum up the entire theme of our time thus far here in our training it would be in the phrase, “God help!”. We are discussing trying to exit our world and enter someone elses. We often think of doing this when we are trying to learn a new culture but our instructor has been challenging us that we must first learn to do so with those within our culture. When we are in conflict with our spouse or children do we ever try and exit our viewpoint or world and enter the other persons? After two weeks of deep personal reflection I find this phrase so applicable to almost every conflict and scenario in my culture and another. When we cannot complete what we feel we ought, when we cannot meet someone in their point of need, when we hurt overlook and marginalize those we love most there is no better response then to sit still before God and cry out, “God help”. Remembering this is important in cross cultural integration (the obvious) and cross person interactions (the less obvious).
I am humbled to think of how often I have come to the end of myself and threw my hands up in exasperation without uttering what I most needed, “God help!”