Culture Clash

I am stuck.

Across the street live these incredibly sweet children. As soon as my hubby or I drive into our driveway, they run as fast as their legs will carry them to greet us, bubbling over with smiles and excitement that we have come home. It's precious. I admit I'm tempted to secretly videotape it and play it back for my own kids one day when I don't get the same greeting from them. :)

On the other hand, I am incredibly frustrated. These same sweet children have learned, in sum, about 15 English words, and even less of the American culture. I have spent the past week trying my best to keep composure while reminding them (over and over again) that 1) they are only allowed to come over when we are home, 2) they cannot simply open my front door, but must knock first, 3) they must ask before playing with E's toys, 4) they cannot drag our lab around the yard by his collar or feed him his food from their hands...you get the picture. They are at my house, in my space, which means they should play by my rules, right? Problem is, I simply can't figure out how often they are disobeying me and how often they simply don't understand my directives.

The bigger problem is that I am not doing a good job being Jesus to this family. The culture clash between this family across the street and our White-colored, Christian-minded, American-raised, Middle-class, Southern-traditioned family is about as opposite as it can possibly be.

Below all these surface-level differences, though, is a sin issue. I love my house, E's toys, my dog, my space, my evening time.......myself(!), more than I am loving them. In Matthew, Jesus tells the Pharisees that loving God with your whole heart, soul and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself are the two most important commandments. Through the prophet Hosea, God tells Israel that he "desires steadfast love and not (ritualistic) sacrifices." In the grand scheme of things, the God I serve would receive more glory and honor by my intentional love for these "uncultured" kids than he would by my dinnertime prayer. John Piper is much more brazen, but hits the heart issue directly:

"Woe to us if we get our satisfaction from the food in the kitchen and the TV in the den and the sex in the bedroom with an occasional tribute to the cement blocks in the basement! God wills to be displayed and known and loved and cherished and worshiped."