Key Bible Verse: So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified (Romans 15:7). Bonus Reading: Romans 15:5-9

Seven of us spent the summer in England, extending ourselves to international students who'd come to study in Oxford. This was my second summer mission, so I felt I'd mastered how to be a team player. But one team member started to drive me crazy. During meals Susan would reach over to my plate, grab one of my french fries ("chips" in England), and proceed with dinner as if nothing had just transpired. Where was "May I have one?" or "Do you mind?"

One morning I was in the kitchen preparing food at the counter. Susan needed something on the other side of me. Without saying a word, she reached across me to get it. That was the last straw!

"Susan," I blurted, "you can't keep violating my personal space any time you feel like it." In Korean culture, she explained, a sign of friendship is to treat one another like family. There's no need for such formalities as "Excuse me" or "May I try some of your food?" She'd just been paying me the compliment of being relaxed in my presence. As Susan spoke, I became aware of my own unwritten rules. We white people, I thought, are very dependent on verbal cues for interactions.

—Doug Schaupp in Being White

My Response: Do I let a friend shape how I view him or just make up my mind about him on my own?

Thought to Apply: To get a person to understand our point of view, we must first get to understand his.—SOURCE UNKNOWN

Adapted from Being White (InterVarsity, 2004) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, Your Church should be validating Christ's reconciling power. Help me to do my part.

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