W.O.W.

While tabling for ACF at the activities fair today, a guy came up and asked, "Aren't you guys being very exclusive?" As the day went on, I did feel more and more exclusive. To draw people's attention, we were giving away cups of almond jelly. When non-Asians would eye the jelly, we would pretend not to see, but when Asians walked by our booth we would offer them some jelly. After all, we did have an agenda. If we gave the non-Asians the jelly (who just wanted free stuff), it would be one less Asian who would be informed about ACF later. I know that our cultural identity is a strength we use for ministry, but in the end, God's kingdom is not exclusive to any particular race. I struggled a lot with that while tabling today.

Later tonight, Harambee (African-American Christian Fellowship) came to borrow some worship equipment, so I decided by impulse to check out Harambee's large group: Worship on Wednesdays (WOW). I went in with the mindset that it was going to be very awkward because I was going to be out of place... an Asian in a room full of African-Americans. Ashley, their staff worker, asked us, "What is holding you back? What are you chained to?" Tonight, it was my cultural identity. Suddenly I realized, Jesus died to set me free... even free from feeling awkward when I'm not in my natural culture. He died so that I could comfortably worship with people of different races... to know that I don't have to label myself as Asian and them as African-American... but as children in the family of Christ. And the chain was broken.