Same same

Phrases from other cultures land in our sentences and frequent our conversations.

One of those? “Same same, but different.”

We are the same. But different.

In our trek across oceans and sojourns in other lands, we see this.

Face to face. While talking about family. Life. Hopes. Dreams. Pain. Struggle.

Same same, but different.

Side by side

Side by side, we sit. At a pediatrician’s office in Karachi. She looks at the world through a small opening across her eyes. All else enveloped in a cloud of black cloth.

I greet her in Urdu.

Her eyes are alert. Watching. Curious.

Same same.

“What do you like about Pakistan?” she asks.

Wrestling

A frequent question. One I consider often.

Wrestling with it on dry, hot days. When there is no water or electricity.

Or when I see a poor man cleaning his utensils in desert sand. Right next to fortress walls of someone’s mansion and well-watered gardens.

Or as trips to the market must be planned so that I’m not going alone as a woman.

Even accompanied, I get a small taste of what other women experience daily. Harassment. Inappropriate touch.

But I look at her. Smile.

“The people,” I say. “I’ve met so many wonderful people in Pakistan.”

It’s true. And even as I speak the words, my heart fills up. With love for people in the “Land of the Pure.”

She nods. Smiling, I assume.

And we talk about raising children in today’s world.

Same same. Mothers concerned for the well-being of their children.

Same same, but different

We talk about prayer. God.

She speaks of religion and pilgrimage.

I share about relationship and acceptance as a child of the Father, following Jesus.

It’s such a brief encounter. In a waiting room. Side by side.

Seeing how alike we are, yet from two different worlds.

Through the years, I have friends of different cultures and worldviews. We sit together at the table. On the floor. Over tea or syrup drinks or coffee.

Same same, but different.

Gloriously different

Yet all of us are made in the image of God. And loved by Him.

So loved that He sent His One and Only Son. Born of a virgin. Jesus Christ.

He lived on earth, walked among us. Same same but gloriously different.

To all who will believe

One day in history, He died on the cross for the sin of the world. They buried him in a tomb.

Then, He resurrected from the dead on the third day. Offering salvation from sin and death to all who will believe in Him.

Given no matter what culture or language, nation or people or tribe we come from.

Alleluia!

What about you?

Have phrases from other cultures become part of your language? How have you experienced “same same, but different” where you live? How has it informed the way you share the gospel?

Eclectic – Love your neighbor – Fitting in – Gospel clarity – New patterns – Why follow Jesus? – Brokenness – The way of life – Gospel conversations – Place – When love runs out – Genesis 1:27 – John 1:1-4 – John 1:14 – 2 Corinthians 3:18 – Colossians 3:9-11 –