Keeping Rhythm with What?

Last night, I attended a three hour seminar after completing an eleven hour work shift. Although I was skeptical of the content and was exhausted once I felt that chair beneath me, I kept an open mind and felt that there would be concepts or principles at the very least that I could apply or alter and then apply in my work days.

Here is something I learned:

We did an exercise where the attendees stood in a circle around the room. The instructor divided half the group into a unit and gave them a clapping rhythm to perform. She then took a third of the remaining group and gave them a second rhythm. Finally she gave three people a rhythm while myself and a remaining lady were given the final pattern to clap. We were all supposed to keep clapping, then start to mill around the room into a tighter unit, then re-disperse back to our original groups, then stop clapping. Then she asked each group to individually showcase their rhythm, then asked us what our thoughts were on the exercise, and how easy or difficult it was for each group.

I was abundantly pleased that I had faithfully maintained not only the rhythm, but the speed of the beat by closing my ears to the others and being in tune and accurately reflecting what I had been taught. But I was the lone reed. Although I heard them and smiled as I mingled, my inner thoughts were fused to the teacher's request.

What I WAS supposed to gain from this exercise was how to blend with the others, how to appreciate the other rhythms, how to blend into a homogenized version of USness.

The problem that I faced with this scenario, is that I was viewing it with a Biblical perspective of standing firm in a higher calling, not of my own or others making. We are called to be set apart for GOD's use, not for political purposes and I found myself very grieved that the pull of education is to get us into a world thought pattern of honouring diversity and tolerance, just as long as it is skewed toward things not Godly. While they want me to honour them, the reverse is not true as they continue to put down Biblical values and look with disdain at me. All the film clips were slanted this way, all the table discussion scenarios were weighted this way. It was the lone reed needing to be 'learned' in the school of acceptance. There is no seminar that gives the scenario of honouring a GOD fearing lady.

Fortunately, I am convinced that GOD wants me to honour him in every thing I do, which includes my interactions with those that I share this world with and every action or thought I conduct in private.