This month I was especially irritated by the lack of freedom I feel I have in this cultural context. I am limited to what I can do by myself, I’m limited in what I can wear, I’m limited in how I spend my time. This is a very different life than what I am used to. And it is a very different life from what I prefer.
On top of this, I especially found myself getting angry at my local roommate this month. She is limited as well, as a woman living in this culture. I found myself getting frustrated with how she expressed distress, annoyance, and anger. I was spending so much energy being angry and frustrated with her that I forgot the perspective I need to take with her: I am free. She is not.
I am free in many ways: I’m an American citizen, and with that comes certain rights and protections that people in this part of the world simply don’t have. I was raised in a society that allows me to worship as I please. I grew up believing that the possibilities for me were endless. And they were. I lived in a free society. The sky was the limit. I was also raised as a daughter of the King. I have been free from condemnation since I was a child. My roommate grew up in an oppressive country. Citizens were not protected from violence or retaliation - from the government or from other citizens. Freedom of worship was not even a concept. She was raised to fit into the roll of wife and mother, and equipped for little else. That role was as broad as her horizon could get. She lives and has grown up under the burden of the law, and with the perspective that the best she can hope for is to be a slave of God.
No wonder we don’t understand each other.
I don’t have answers yet. I don’t know how to bridge the gap of communication between us. I don’t know how to reach out to her and show her love. But she is not free. And I am. And as a freed person, I have a responsibility to intercede for her, and offer up pleas to God on her behalf. It’s not fair that I’ve always known freedom and all she’s ever known is legalism. But here she is. And here I am. Our bedroom doors are right next to each other. The least I can do is stand in the gap.