It’s a favorite pastime of mine in this very international city: guessing where a passerby is from.
Sometimes a facial expression gives them away. Some cultures are very expressive, while others play their emotional cards very close to their chests. Then there’s body language. A tourist is often more alert and wide-eyed to an avalanche of new details, while a native tends to be focused only on where he’s going and what he’s got to accomplish. Then there’s the fashion element: for instance, American men tend to have a boxier, more casual silhouette, while European men tend towards the tailored with a touch of elegance. Stereotypes, certainly, but sometimes they work. Then there’s bone structure, complexion, and language.
The other day, I helped serve a meal to a large group of tourists from…well, I didn’t know where. I saw faces that weren’t quite like any I’d seen before, and a language that sounded vaguely Scandinavian. As I was passing out plates of dessert, I asked one young man, “What’s your native language?”
“Faroese,” he replied.
“And where are you from?”
“The Faroe Islands.”
I smiled a bit sheepishly and said, “I have absolutely no idea where that is!”
Turns out they’re found between Iceland and Denmark. Who knew?
Geography was one of our great loves in school. We played games, drew maps, quizzed one another on capitols, and threw names like Bandar Seri Begawan around with great gusto. To run into a totally brand new place, embodied in some real live people, was exciting!
I know geography isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I daresay that everyone has some subject they love to pursue. The Bible says it’s God’s glory to conceal a matter, and our glory to search it out. He created the astounding layers of complexity to discover in this world — and He designed the thrill of the chase.
But knowledge and wisdom start and end with Him. And He’s the only one who understands absolutely everything.
So sometimes it’s best to call a time out, and simply be. Quiet. In His presence.
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother.
I think there’s a rhythm. Sometimes I’m chasing the truth, deep in discussion with others (this time on a subject that stumped even Solomon). Sometimes I’m worn out, and glad to be quiet against His shoulder — the One who is the Truth.
I’ll be back tomorrow with another question and answer.
But today I’m enjoying the quiet.
Elisabeth Adams 