The Superiority Complex


I think tis is a plague that follows most missionaries. And the bottom line is that it is pride. We believe that we are superior because we are from the west, we have resources, we  have education, etc… We are the schoolmasters and they are are little pupils. Of course I have never met a missionary that would express it in these terms but in our hearts and attitudes we often come across as superior and arrogant and the nationals see right through it. The work that God wants to do and needs to do in the heart of the missionary first is massive. He needs to deal with pride. And missions is just that – a massive flesh stripping endeavor that will leave you broken and wounded. But that is where God comes in and picks you up and molds you into the man/woman of God He wants you to become. Sure you have great aspirations and motivations to do amazing things on the mission field and so does God but His work is going to start in your heart by stripping away the layers of pride. He needs to take the pride of viewing ourselves as the answer to humble servants that see the people they are serving as higher then they are.

I have met a few missionaries over the years that truly grasped this and the impact they have on the people is immense because the people no longer see them as a foreigner but as a friend and a solder in arms. That person is now free to do and say whatever they feel is necessary and the people will listen and heed every word because they know it is coming from someone that truly loves them. Not from a boss.

Recognize that you are simply a conduit. The things you bring are not your own. Your job is to simply pass it along and introduce them to the real giver – God.