For part III click here.
There probably wasn’t a single moment in Bangkok when my mind wasn’t on twenty different things. Okay, maybe when I was eating I was only thinking about eating but that’s it. Some of my thoughts included seeing my family, having memories of my mother, and wondering about my father.
Seeing my family was one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had. It’s probably because I’m older and appreciate relationships and family more. In addition, having grown up in a broken home makes me see the value of having a strong family unit, even family outside the immediate sphere of influence. Furthermore, it helped me realize my own ethnicity. There was this sense of “Oh yeah, I’m Thai!” when visiting my family in The Motherland.
Actually, I didn’t even realize that I was Asian until I got to Biola University. Namely because I couldn’t get a date and quickly realized that race was an issue (I’m only semi-joking). But even then I only had the epiphany of “Oh yeah, I’m Asian.” It wasn’t specific like the realization I was “Thai,” which was a much more positive experience. You might be saying, “How could you not know your own ethnicity you moron!” First, I would agree with you that I’m a moron. Secondly, I grew up in East Los Angeles and went to a Middle School and a High School that was predominantly Asian and Hispanic and everyone hated each other equally. Finally, I was born in the United States and like most children who have or had immigrant parent(s), you simply want to fit in as best as possible and sometimes in the process of trying to fit in Western culture you forget your own culture, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Growing in my appreciation for my “Thai-ness” doesn’t mean that I’ll “go gangster” and have “Thai Pride” tattooed across my chest in Thai letters like some ex-con. However, I’ve not only accepted my own uniqueness but also embraced with joy. I love being Thai and I love much of the culture of Thai people, MY people. This made me think about the Abrahamic Covenant that the Lord had with Israel. Israel was supposed to be a light to the other nations, an example of a Theocracy. Israel was chosen by God to bring other nations under the same Theocracy of Yahweh. The Abrahamic Covenant sought to unite racial differences not by blurring cultural distinctions but by bringing different ethic groups under the banner of One God while maintaining cultural distinctions. The lie that Satan has put in my people is that “You can’t be Thai AND a Christian. It’s a Western religion.” Buddhism is a major part of the culture in Thailand, people associate being Buddhist with being Thai. And I tell them, “No! You can still be Thai AND be a Christian!” The beauty of the Abrahamic Covenant is that it transcends culture without destroying it. Even in the New Testament we have the Apostle Paul’s body analogy regarding the church, namely, that diversity exists within unity (Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:12-17, Eph. 4:11-16).
Yes, I’m created in God’s image and that comes first in the hierarchy of importance regarding the doctrine of humanity. But God also created different ethnic groups and calls all of us to worship Him. The Lord made me Thai for some reason and I’m sure it’s beyond wanting me to enjoy Thai food (although Thai food rocks). There is purpose in everything that the Lord does. Our ethnicity is not “a throw away” in the plan of God. We have it for a reason. Although I don’t fully see the reason for my “Thai-ness” yet, I am at a place where I’m willing to learn and wanting to grow in appreciation for my own uniqueness and seeing how it fits with the bigger picture of the body of Christ.
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