A Humble Snack 谦卑分享
Dexu Xia
A Humble Snack
Clothe yourselves with humility. 1 Peter 5:5
The bag of snack chips was small, but it taught an American missionary a big lesson. Working one evening in the Dominican Republic, she arrived at a church meeting and opened her chips when a woman she hardly knew reached and grabbed a few from the bag. Others helped themselves, too.
How rude, the missionary thought. Then she realized a humbling lesson. She didn’t yet understand the culture where she’d agreed to serve. Rather than emphasizing individualism, as in the United States, she learned that life in the Dominican Republic is lived in community. Sharing one’s food and goods is how people relate to each other. Her way wasn’t better, just different. She confessed, “It was very humbling to discover these things about me.” As she began to recognize her own biases, she also learned that humbly sharing with others helped her serve them better.
Peter taught this lesson to church leaders: treat others with humility. He counseled the elders to resist “lording it over those entrusted to you” (1 Peter 5:3). And those younger? “Submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility” (v. 5). As he declared: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Therefore, “humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (v. 6). May He help us humbly live before Him and others today.
What cultural biases do you harbor? How could you let God transform those attitudes so you humbly serve all?
Father, exchange my arrogance regarding others with Your humble love.
谦卑分享
众人也都要以谦卑束腰。—彼得前书5章5节
一包薯片实在微不足道，但却让一位美国宣教士上了宝贵的一课。这位宣教士在多米尼加共和国服事时，有一天晚上，她在教会的会议中打开了一包薯片。这时，旁边一位她不太认识的妇女伸手拿了一些，而其他人也纷纷不问自取。
这位宣教士心想：这些人真没礼貌！然后，她领悟到自己需要谦卑学习。对于她所服事的这个地方，她还不了解他们的文化。在美国强调的是个人主义，可是在多米尼加共和国，她发现人们过的是群体生活，分享食物和用品是人们相互连结的方式。她所属的文化并不是更好，只是有所不同。她坦言：“当我发现自己对这些事情缺乏认知时，感到十分羞愧。”当她开始看清自己的偏见时，她也认识到谦卑地与人分享能让她更好地服事他们。
彼得教导教会领袖们要以谦卑待人。他劝告长老们，不要专横地“辖制所托付你们的”（彼得前书5章3节）。至于那些较为年轻的人呢？彼得劝勉他们要“顺服年长的。就是你们众人也都要以谦卑束腰”，并且重申“上帝阻挡骄傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人”（5节），“所以你们要自卑，服在上帝大能的手下，到了时候，祂必叫你们升高”（6节）。愿上帝今天就帮助我们能谦卑地活在上帝和人们的面前。
你有什么文化偏见吗？你如何让上帝改变你的态度，好让你能谦卑地服事所有人？
天父啊，求祢让我能以祢谦卑的爱来取代我对人的傲慢。