Do you remember when you first learned about a behavior of yours that needed to be adjusted?

As a child, it might have been learning to not put your elbows on the dinner table or to always say “please” and “thank you.” As a teen, it might have been social skills in school, especially with the opposite sex. Even as adults, we are constantly learning behavioral skills to help us succeed in the world around us - appropriate greetings, contextual language, etc.

We have all learned to appropriately adapt our behaviors to different circumstances or people. Sometimes, we learn to adjust our behavior because, if we don’t, we could get in trouble. Other times, we do so to better relate to someone we want to build a relationship with.

For example, if you grew up in a home that wore outside shoes inside, you might change that behavior when visiting a new friend who has a “no outside shoes” policy. That doesn’t mean you need to change your own policy at your home, but it does mean that you adapt to theirs at their home in order to build a friendship.

As we engage with people from around the world during the World Cup, what behaviors might we need to adjust in order to welcome them and build a relationship?

As I’ve listened to Pastors and missionaries pray for the nations coming to North America, one thing I regularly hear is a desire to share the gospel and teach people about Jesus. This is a very good desire and something God commanded every believer. I also can’t help but wonder if we, Christians in the United States, are missing something God might want to teach us through the nations. Instead of only behaving as “sent ones” to teach the gospel, can we also embrace the identity of “learner”? Or have we come to a mindset where we only see the rest of the world as having a need and we have the abundance?

Like Peter, in Acts 10, we don’t always think about what God wants to teach us through those we are ministering to. We might go to the lost in obedience, but we don’t always consider what God is teaching us through the lost. Could we be missing out on learning more about the Creator by ignoring the differences of His creation and how they worship Him?

In my travels to many countries, one thing that I’ve consistently found is a rich heritage of believers. In some nations it’s plenty and in others, there are few, but one thing I rarely ever see is a nominal Christian. Even in watching videos around the World Cup, I’ve seen many players from other countries worshipping the Lord and praying. If someone is a Christian in another country, it’s typically a completely transformed life that they live. That’s something we can learn to improve in the U.S.

Talk to your global neighbors about the goodness of Jesus in your life, but also be open to hearing and seeing God’s goodness in theirs.