Pura Vida....This is what the Ticos (people of Costa Rica) say to just about everything! It means pure life. Its kind of like saying, just relax and enjoy life! Well here lately I need an extra dose of this Pura Vida mentality. Life has been busy and just plain stressful. I have heard about this thing called culture shock for a while now and well I never thought it would happen to me! I think it's happening. haha. Well to give you a definition it goes something like this.... Culture shock is a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment. BEWILDERMENT. Well that is comforting. haha Now I haven't gone Mad. So don't worry. I think I am just realizing that life has changed. It's different. And that’s ok.
Before I left the States, a great friend of mine shared a dream she had about me. At first I thought it was a little strange, but I really think it held great significance and its awesome how God reminded me of it at just the right time. The dream was that she saw me as a scuba diver. She told me that as a scuba diver goes deeper, they have to adjust according to the pressure. She felt it described my life and I am pretty sure she was right. Now I did a little research and what I found was awesome.
"The deeper a diver goes, the more water he has above him, and the more pressure it exerts on his body. The pressure a diver experiences at a certain depth is the SUM of all the pressures above him, both from the WATER and the AIR."
If you think about it, divers take their environment with them. Air is their environment, its what they know. They are comfortable there. They can breathe! The water however is what they study and learn to adapt too. It's what they live for. I am pretty sure God reminded me of this to help me during this period of culture shock. Little did I know, is that this dream is an amazing illustration of missions.
Home is what I know, it is comfortable, but I have this deep fascination and passion to be where God has called me. It is what I live for. Just like the ocean, my life is always changing, it is so interesting, it can be dark at times, there are even a few unwanted creatures (bugs), but the experience is breath taking. The deeper I go the better it gets. Eventually, I am pretty sure that I will feel more comfortable in the water than I do on dry land. This is what I have to look forward too. Until then you can call it culture shock, I just call it adjusting to the pressure.
This illustration really applies to anyone. I believe that no matter where God takes us, even if it’s right next door. The pressure is always changing. God always wants us to go deeper, but sometimes we are too afraid to leave our own environment. We want to breathe on our own instead of letting God do it for is. Or when we do finally leave, the weights of all the other pressures can be too much to handle. I just like to remember that God never gives us more than we can handle. I believe that and quitting just isn’t and option. So don't be afraid to try something new! You never know what you might discover!
And speaking of trying new things. I have to share this.....
Saturday, I was part of leading worship in Costa Rica. Yes I said WORSHIP. Talk about pressure and an environment change. The last time I sung in front of people was the 3rd grade. (Karaoke does not count). haha However Saturday, some friends and I went to help with a youth service and were recruited to help with worship instead. Now it may not seem like a big deal, but it is a moment I will never forget. I definitely had to adjust under pressure.... and how fitting. We sang "This is the Air I Breathe".haha I actually think I stopped breathing a few times.
