OMS Outreach Online May-August 2022 | Page 7

you remember how you used to communicate easily and when going to the store on the way home from work was nothing .
This has been my story .
As I returned home after a particularly frustrating day , lost and out of place , my mind wandered down a lonely path . On this path , I met another man who had wandered the way of an outsider . I walked with him for some time , saying nothing but comforted by his presence . “ I am a Canadian , born in Germany , who lived in two Asian countries before being forced to leave . I am now adjusting to my third country ,” I ventured forth . “ I have taken on jobs that I was not trained for and moved from a rural town of 250 to live in a city of 14 million . How is that for feeling out of place !” I felt better having said my piece and displaying the vast chasm I was straddling . It was like a trophy . “ See what differences I am trying to overcome ,” I was saying .
The man looked at me with a gentle , loving smile . “ I am the King of the universe , Creator of everything . I was born in a barn and placed in a feeding trough .” he said . “ Though I am eternal , I became limited by time . I am Spirit , but I became flesh . I am God , but I became a child .”
I absorbed his words and pondered .
The great God of everything became a man , one who was rejected and despised . He was the epitome of an outsider . If anyone could relate to culture shock , it was Jesus . Hebrews 4:15 says , “ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses , but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are , yet without sin .” I marveled at the thought . Even in culture shock , that odd malady faced by those who live in foreign lands , God understands far more than we will ever know . What an honor to have such a High Priest .
photos , pages 6-7 : Typical street scenes in Asia
7