Culture Shock and Adapting to a new field, part 4

Ask yourself questions and evaluate the way you have been thinking. Have your thoughts negatively affected you and your attitude? Remember to bring all your thoughts into captivity to the mind of Christ, and then you will successfully overcome culture shock and adapt well to your new field.

1. Are you fighting your new life?

2. You are unaware of when it started, but you have slowly become critical, complaining, and condescending in your attitude.

3. You consider the ministry and the culture a burden you are forced to carry.

4. You are tired of being the outsider, the minority.

5. Have you sought to check your attitude and behavior in the light of God's Word and will for your life?

6. Are you walking in humility? Someone said, "Humility is not thinking of ourselves at all but making God everything.”

7. Are you learning to laugh at yourself and enjoy serving God and others?

8. Are you learning patience with others, the culture, your family, and yourself?

9. Are you open to this new life God has called you to?

10. Are you trying new foods and new activities?

11. Are you maintaining a positive, Christ-honoring attitude towards all around you, your family, yourself, God, and His will for your life?

12. Are you developing new tastes in food, entertainment, environment, etc.?

13. Are you learning to see life through their eyes, those of your host country?

14. Have you accepted the truth that they are not different, but you are? You are in their country learning to live their life. You are the outsider until you decide to work at being an insider.

15. Are you working at building new habits that are better suited for the new place you are living in?

16. Change your focus to them, their needs, and their lives, and you will have less time to focus on yourself. Stop thinking of yourself as a priority.

17. Let's treat others the way we want to be treated.

Austin Gardner