10 Aug, 2010
Delighting in Differences
Europeans dress most casually for work, Indians smartest
(Reuters Life!) - Wearing shorts to work in Hungary might not merit a second glance but in India you are likely to be deemed a slacker who won't make senior management, according to a global Reuters/Ipsos poll on business attire. A survey of about 12,500 people in 24 countries found that Europeans are the most casual when it comes to work clothes with only 27 percent wearing a business suit or smart clothes to work.
Hungary came bottom of the table with only 12 percent of workers saying they wore a suit or smart dress to work. Among Hungarian workers, 46 percent said it was appropriate to wear shorts to work while 56 percent approved of thong sandals or flip-flops at work. Indians were found to be the smartest when it came to work attire with 58 percent donning a suit or other smart clothing for work. Only 21 percent said it was fine to wear shorts.
1 Corinthians 9:19 (ESV)
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
What does God’s Story scripture teach us about people’s differences?
When Paul writes this verse, he is in the middle of explaining how he approaches his ministry toward others. He realizes that God has called him to share the message of Christ with all types of different people who all require different approaches and understandings, from Jews to Gentiles to those considered to be weak and those considered to be strong.
Paul realizes God has given him great freedom because he is a follower of Christ. He is free from living under the power of sin, free from having to impress others, and free from living for the temptations of the world. However, he chooses to become a servant to those he has been freed from, so that his life and influence will hopefully impact them to turn to Christ.
How can we connect God’s Story scripture to our lives?
If you are a follower of Christ, you too have been set free. How are you using your freedom? Instead of living for others, do you look like the rest of the world, living for yourself and your own desires? Because of the variety of people in the world, we should surrender our freedom to Christ and ask that he will help us use it to impact others for him.
Although we should use our freedom to adjust ourselves to all the differences in the people we are exposed to, this should never become an excuse to engage in sinful practices. Learning to approach people differently based on their personality, background, and interests is very different from being negatively influenced by them.
How can we connect today’s story, God’s Story scripture, and our story to others?
Today’s story reminds us of the great differences between people all over the world. In something as simple as what kind of clothes to wear to work, it is clear that different people groups are each unique. The uniqueness of people is not a new thing; in fact, it is exactly what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 9, and he teaches us to embrace these differences as we pursue others.
Spend a few moments considering some of the differences among your friends. How should your approach to share the gospel with them be different based on each of their unique characteristics? As we learn to surrender ourselves more and more to the purposes of God, he will help us become more sensitive to how to reach people of all different kinds.
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