11.Bless,
Don’t Curse (23 December 2017)
 |
| Who says there are no snowmen in Lebanon? (7 Dec. 2017 – Beirut) |
One of the hardest things to do is
to follow directions. The Middle East is a shining illustration of that
difficulty. We have seen an improvement in this area since the last time we
lived here 10-1/2 years ago, and we’re appreciative of those changes. A
positive example: people do not immediately blast their horns when stuck in
traffic, or waiting at a traffic light. Nonetheless, it often happens that
people ignore what is known as the “common good”. There is a fierce independent
streak in society here, or perhaps it would be better termed a disobedient
streak. A negative example: they still blast their horns, even when they can
see a legitimate reason for a delay, like an old lady hobbling off of a public
bus.
It
is very easy to react against these kinds of irritants, and express that
irritation by cursing what is wrong in the world, or the country, and then fall
into a lifestyle of complaining. To rue the pronouncements of some far-away
ruler that set this region in turmoil. To dismiss any sign of improvement in
public works as a fluke. To wish annihilation on the ants that have taken over
the kitchen and bathroom in our newly-refurbished apartment… There are so many
reasons to “curse, not bless” because of the things that go awry in our
everyday life.
 |
| I got to meet a celebrity: LebCat 7, in the flesh! Or the fur. (4 Dec. 2017 – Beirut) |
Last week we encountered both an
indirect “blessing” as well as some veiled “cursing” while at a Christmas Fair
near our home. One amazing young lady engaged us in talking about her handmade
products, so much so that you could feel the caring poured into each item. Yet
when talking to a couple who are manufacturing innovative Lebanese-made items,
they told us, “No! Don’t ever encourage anybody to come to Lebanon.
Dealing with laws here is impossible. Whoever relocates here, after the first
year, the glow and excitement is subdued, and after five years it’s completely
gone.”
 |
| The Beirut Christmas Marching Band in Mar Mikhael. (17 Dec. 2017 – Beirut) |
Something
else we notice: when those around us talk to us about Europe and the West, there
is an almost exclusive “bless, not curse” mind-set. It matters little to them
that they are ignoring vast amounts of negative information about life in their
dream destinations, nor that they are casting underfoot the blessings of their
(often difficult) lives here. The template has been determined, the categories
are set, and all that remains is to sort their list.
Agreed, it’s hard to choose to bless
and not curse. It’s an active choice that you have to make, because it’s not
based on the current climate of your life. It’s not based on comparative
fortunes (e.g., “We’re/they’re better off than them/us.”). Nor is it a choice
to ignore the reality around you and not be wise in your observations. We find
it to be a daily choice, in our conversations, in our lifestyle, in our
prayers, and in our attitudes. Plus (for Christians), it’s a command from the top-level
management. It’s a matter of obedience. So, we do our best to bless so that we
can be a blessing.
 |
| The last few boxes to be emptied... finally! (17 Dec. 2017 – Beirut) |
All told, we’ve spent ten
Christmases here, and now at our eleventh Christmas we are still bemused to see
the infusion of popularized Christmas imagery in local observances. Like fake
snow. And reindeer. And English-language seasonal music. At the aforementioned
Christmas Fair, there was a mini-Christmas parade going around the Mar Mikhael
train station (now an exhibition center), complete with mini-marching band (five
musicians) playing, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”. But since the marching
band included a derbeke/dumbeg, I felt I could confidently consider it local!
Tomorrow,
(non-Armenian) Christmas Eve, local church services will be enhanced by Sunday
School programs and pageants celebrating Christ’s birth, followed by (in the
case of Armenian Evangelical churches) a week of evening services to reflect on
the year soon to end.
 |
| LebCat 9: Does she look like she owns the place? She does – the Nor Marash church. Or is that her identical twin sister...? (26 Mar. 2017 – Burj Hammoud) |
And what a year it’s been! A moving
year, pun intended. We are just now getting our last things out of the boxes
and into their places. So it’s feeling more like home, because we’re seeing
more of our things around us. We would love to see the faces of our family
members, too, but we’ll have to rely on technology to lessen the longing.
Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to spending the first week in the New Year,
including Armenian Christmas, with a young friend from our previous church. In
2016, Lara left her job in Philadelphia to spend a year (plus) in service to
various communities around the world, because “now is the time”. For the last
several months she’s been in Armenia helping at “Aleppo NGO”, assisting Syrian
refugees. You can read her lighthearted and insightful posts at “Lark on the Move”.
Wishing you... and our world… and
especially the Armenian people… a better New Year, and the hope of Christmas.
Because Christ was born and revealed! (Քրիստոս ծնաւ եւ յայտնեցաւ. ձեզի, մեզի մե՛ծ աւետիս։)
[LNB]
