I just met a delightful couple from Mumbai (Bombay). They were giving me another eye opening perspective about India.

I have always heard that north Indians and south Indians don't always get along. They were there to confirm these suspicions. They were also absolutely stunned to hear about me, a white washed, Indo-Canadian with south Indian roots serving in a North Indian church. This is unheard off according to them. It is an act of God.

They even told me that both north and south Indians look down at each other. North Indians tend to look down at the south because of their dark skin. Apparently fair skin is a sign of beauty in there part of the world unlike here where I meet so many white people getting tans and wanting to get browner like yours truly. They also informed me that most south Indians look down at the north for not having as much education.

We are such foolish people. Why do we have such shallow standards of measuring peoples worth. God must really laugh at us...

Then I look at my life. I was born and raised with no south Indians in my life for about 13 years. I come to Currey and Jesus comes in my life and calls me to serve at this North Indian church. I can slap down my education card to win the favor of our south Indian friends and I'm also fairly fair skinned (depending on the season) and I fool so many people for being north Indian. Just the other day, I was giving a guy I just met a lift. He recently came into the country from India. When he found out that my ethnic roots go back to south India, he was shocked?

"What? But you are so fair? You can't be South Indian! You look like you are from the North!"

It is quite funny. Sometimes I ask God, "What have you created?" I guess God might have called me to unite both fronts. It is only a work he can do and pride can easily get in the way. It will take a miracle for our people to get over their pride. But that is what my God lives for. It reminded me of Paul who said,

"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

(1 Cor 9:19-23)

Let's make it happen Jesus!

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