Some Ramblings and Thoughts

I have been having lots of great conversations lately. Hence all the extra blogging. This latest conversation was around the comments and shouting I get when walking the streets of Dhaka.
A lot of men in Dhaka believe that western women who are not married are like western women that they see on TV and in the movies. So when I am out walking the street I get yelled at a lot and mostof the time they are rather offensive comments.
As I came home after a particularly bad day of verbal abuse on the street I had a discussion with one of my friends. The conclusions for me were quite radical so I thought I would share.
Why is it that I get so riled up when people shout rude comments at me?
Is it because they aren't true? Possibly
But more likely it is my need and desire to be accepted in this society. And my desire to be seen as someone of good moral standing and a good representative of the Christian faith. And my pride.
What does my anger at being called a prostitute or loose women say about how I view woman who are working as prostitutes usually through circumstances beyond their control. This is a big question for me because when I am finished with full time language study I will be working and living in a red light district.
The conclusion I came to is that I need to be willing to be cast in the same light as those I will live and work alongside. I need to be willing to stand along side them as together we are rejected by society.
I need to care less of what or who others perceive me to be, and think more on who I am in Christ and who I am becoming in the light of his love and grace.
When I think of what Jesus was like on earth, He associated with the outcasts of society, and He was despised and rejected by many as a result.
I have a long way to go to battle my pride and need for acceptance but am glad of the refining that God continues to do in my life.
Blessings
Pip