Civilized and Uncivilized

When I received an e-mail from a coworker yesterday afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a link to an interesting article regarding South African soccer fans. It provided an entertaining diversion for the slowest part of my day, and it also had several "stand out" statements that provoked my thoughts toward the Christ-follower's life.

In a nutshell, a South African man (Maurice Meyer) and his wife decided to swim both ways across a crocodile-infested river in order to win VIP World Cup tickets from a radio DJ.  And get this, the idea was all theirs; the DJ only said someone had to do the "craziest thing."  Well, they did it, and they lived to tell about it.  The author of this article, Dan Wetzel, writes: "Incredibly, the Meyers did this without a guarantee they’d even win. And they won’t. The radio station considered their feat too dangerous and refused to endorse it." (Read the full article here: The Spirit of South Africa.)

There's a big part of me that is a thrill seeker and that's one of the reasons why I love following Christ--it's thrilling and risky and dangerous and difficult...and FUN!  What word, other than thrilling, could you use to describe putting your faith in an "unseen" God, trusting Him alone for your safety, and choosing to live more for Him than you do yourself?!

Thus, can you see why the words of Dan Wetzel in reference to South Africa and its people reminded me so much of my life as a Christ-follower?  Just read some of his words and my thoughts about them below:

"It’s a raw, wild place that, at the same time, embraces a fun-loving side. And it’s full of men and women who figure taunting crocodiles is a rush. It’s both civilized and uncivilized at the exact same time – a mix that often works perfectly." -- Living as a Christian has given me countless "uncivilized" moments where I witness the reactions of shock as I tell others Who I live my life for.  I am familiar with the rush of adrenaline that comes at those moments too.  Moments where you choose to take a leap into the potentially dangerous waters of controversy and raw honesty.  There are the moments that defy the "civilized" code of not talking about religion and politics.

"The jokes are the best part of South Africa. Everyone is a comedian here. Life isn’t simple in this country. It’s not really first world and parts are certainly third. Nothing surprises anyone, apparently." -- A more recent lesson that I've learned as a Christ-follower is that I have to have a sense of humor about life and religion.  Too many people get offended too easily or are surprised by something that is very normal, very human.  So I'm continually realizing that we need comedic relief and we need to laugh at ourselves--I don't think Jesus is serious 100% of the time and we shouldn't be either.

"So in a place where the earth burning doesn’t cause a second glance and the political, social and economic structure is under such intense strain, importance is still placed on enjoying every moment, of challenging yourself and others." -- As a Christ-follower, I know that we're doomed as humans but that Christ brings us hope.  Therefore, I want to put importance on the relationships in my life and the actions I can take to improve my area of influence with the time I have here on earth.  We all need each other and we all need to challenge each other to be better lovers, dreamers, and representatives of Christ until He calls us home.

Well that's enough from me.  It's time to get more interactive.  What do you think?  Did you read the article and see something else that I missed?  I hope you share because I'd really like to know.