Are You in the Minority? (A TCK Moment)

The other day we were having family worship. We were studying a passage from Ephesians and talking about the believers in Ephesus. Kris asked the boys, "Have you ever been in a place where you felt like you were in the minority?" We waited for the obvious answer. I mean, think about it: the boys have lived all of their lives either in the Middle East (think "White boy surrounded by Arabs"), Africa (think "White boy in Africa") or in Asia (think "White boy in Asia") and have always lived in predominately Muslim cultures. So, yes, the answer seemed very obvious...to Kris and me. The boys thought and thought and finally, each one said, "No, I can't think of a time when I felt like I was in the minority."

I had to smile! I love TCKs! Do you know what that is? It's a kid who is from one culture, grows up in another culture, and therefore develops his or her own (third) culture. And TCKs have awesome answers to questions we think are obvious. I say "we" here because I have learned to be somewhat American, but I am actually a TCK myself. Which explains why I loved their answer! Ha! Finally one of them came up with an answer. You know when it was that he felt like he was in the minority? No really, go ahead, guess! It was when he went to public school in Texas! The one time he was surrounded by kids who were from his passport country! And you know why he said he felt like he was in the minority? It had more to do with the other kids' spiritual lives than it did to their language or skin color. Wow. He taught me a lesson and didn't even know he did!

I love that our kids are comfortable in their own "skin" (literally) and that they are sensitive to the spiritual state of the kids around them. They challenge me to look past the obvious and see the heart condition of those around me. TCKs see the world differently. Do you know a TCK? Give them a hug and tell them you appreciate them!