My first trip to a third world country has me
feeling like I’m on the set of a movie.
Our SUVS make zig-zag beelines through the ever flowing Kolkata traffic
and the buzz of horns builds a backdrop drone. A dull, skull pound builds in my
head while the scarf around my neck traps the upper 80s winter heat of
India. All the while my mental camera
reel captures a roll of film that distorts any understanding I previously
possessed of reality. Half-clad men fill
streets so small that only two smart cars can safely navigate. However, an
entire marketplace; vendors, buyers, cars, and buses, burst the seams of
pot-holed concrete to bargain for purchases.
This particular marketplace is encased within a massive city consisting
of shanty lean-tos constructed with whatever material was economical and
accessible at the time: bamboo poles, tin shingles, stones, or wood and
sometimes a mixture. Meanwhile, our
fearless guide blazes a pathway to the tune of his incessant beeping horn and
uses his former taxi driving expertise to dodge meandering stray dogs and holy
cows. To the Hindu, all animals are
sacred, yet to my distorted American mind I have seen pets in my country
elevated to pampering sessions that far outweigh my own personal grooming
budget. So these roaming cows seem to
lack prestige and worship as they walk neglected around city streets, living on
garbage from the gutters.
My thoughts collide with chaos as we abruptly arrive
at our destination. I plunge from our
SUV nest into the middle of the street on
the banks of a small canal called Adi Ganga that I was moments before filming
from the safe interior of our vehicle.
The walk of a minority can feel like a megaphone blare reverberating in
an abandoned warehouse. I feel as if the backdrop of India is now beginning to
spin around me as my legs wobble towards the Kalighat Kali Temple, a Hindu
temple dedicated to the goddess Kali, the Hindu goddess associated with power,
or shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord
of death, and is considered the goddess of time and change. Suddenly, my vision begins to hone in on the
particulars of the marketplace streets around me now selling trinkets and
figurines of Kali instead of vegetables and rice. The blackness of despair
begins to seep through my veins as I walk through the security checkpoint of a
temple that is regarded as one of the holiest in India where the various parts
of Shakti’s body are said to have fallen. Kalighat represents the site where
the toes of the right foot of Shakti fell.
My soul pulses hopelessness as we approach the main attraction of this
temple, a graven image of the Goddess Kali that bears a long protruded tongue
made out of gold.
I
encounter Shakti Hindus in this temple who blindly offer animal sacrifices to
one goddess out of 330 million for an outcome that is uncertain in their
lives. Animal sacrifice is not practiced in contemporary
Vedantic or Brahminical Hinduism, but is practiced by the majority of Hindu
Castes in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu, in some Eastern states of India and
Nepal, and on the Indonesian island of Bali.
My eyes fill with tears as I stand in front of the Hari-Kath, two
sacrificial altars meant for sacrifice: the bigger one for buffalo sacrifices
and the smaller one for goats and sheep.
One woman lies face down before the altar and kisses the bloodied stones
murmuring words sounding of fear, pain, and suffering. My heart connects with her moans and feels
the weight of her struggle. I’m
overwhelmed by the juxtaposition of my faith that claims the ultimate sacrifice
has been made in Jesus and a Hindu faith that leaves its followers continually
searching for meaning. I send whispers
of thanks to God for the beauty of a Savior who lived the perfect life, and
died a violent death for my sins so that I could be forgiven and receive his
gift of peace and freedom. But,
Christianity isn’t all about me, but about Christ loving me so that He
communicates through me the beauty of his grace, mercy, salvation, forgiveness,
and healing to those in my sphere of influence.
My
Western eyes quickly detect the darkness of Eastern idol worship, yet so easily
miss the blackness of Western idols. Immediately, the Lord shines light into the dark corners of my
heart bringing to mind my own idols of self-sufficiency and the foolish
pursuits of the American Dream. Name
your dream. Flesh it out. Be honest.
Be real. Most of our thoughts are
centered around the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the
person we want to marry, the job we want to have, the home we would like to
own, the number of kids we would like to show-off, the body we would like to
model, the reputation we would like to flaunt, the vacations we would like to
take, and the toys we would like to parade.
Have we somehow replaced seeking the Lord with stuff, success and human
approval? Has the idol-like pursuit of business, success, and the “good life”
left a gaping hole in our hearts? Have
we brought our filthy rags of achievements,
possessions, and reputations to the cross,
instead of Christ’s atoning sacrifice?
We
Americans have a tendency to hide what needs the most healing, or deny that we
need healing at all. We tend to think
we’ve got it all together and need nothing from God, but in actuality our hope
continues to be placed in people or things that will ultimately fail us. The reality is that every individual has
their own struggles that Christ is asking for us to lay upon his altar. But, it’s not about bringing Christ what I
want, but glorifying him. He asks us to
confess of struggles and sins that we are unwilling to leave at his feet. You name it; the enemy and our own minds hit
us hard: relationships, possessions, loss, suffering, addictions, the past,
generational sin, fears, ambition and wherever the enemy can manipulate us into
thinking that God has somehow cheated us, lacks love for us, or is holding out
on us. One of the most difficult realities to face is our own false belief that
we are always right, but God challenges us to surround ourselves with people who call us out, “It is
better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools”
(Ecclesiastes 7:5). God reveals that
foolish people surround themselves with individuals who never tell them they
are wrong, whereas wise people put those around them that will be frankly
honest about their shortcomings.
Christ
is calling us to empty our hands of fears and dreams, a discipline that
recognizes idols’ failure to fulfill. We
must dive deeper into his word and surround ourselves with a community of
believers that challenge us to soak up the knowledge of his tender mercy and
love. Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice,
didn’t die just to save us from hell and our sin, but to give us “life and to
have it to the full (John 10:10) Can we let our dreams go, and realize that
letting go means he will fulfill? He
calls us each day to follow him with unbridled abandonment, to lay down our
idols at the cross, and to walk in step with His will so that he might use us
for his ultimate glory. Remember, rejoice, and take heart; God has started this work
within us, and he will finish it (Philippians 1:6).
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