What is your heritage ?

I almost hard a head ache today trying to make my point through with a group of people about our heritage.

First, if you live in America you or your generations back came from somewhere. Except you are a Native American. If you doubt this read your history.

If you live in another country different from where your fore fathers came from you have a heritage.

If we are God's children then, we are his heritage anyways. Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (Psalm 127:3 NIV) 

My point is, God made us to belong and identity ourselves to a group of people. And we should be proud of our heritage for God did not make a mistake. 

Accepting our heritage is being humble not only to our new environment but also to God. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6, 7 NIV)

Our fear of people judging us due to our heritage sometimes prevents us from opening up. 

Our heritage builds us up and makes us different. We go through things as a culture or people due to costoms and belief systems. Some of them are not the best but God makes beauty from ashes. (Isaiah 61:3 beauty instead of ashes)

When we migrate to a new land and culture, we have to be open to learning how that society works. In order to get to know the people, we have to be open to let them know us as well.

Is is ok if you are asked questions like;

Where are you from? What is it like where you are from? What is housing like where you are from? Do you leave on tree with animal? How many siblings do you have?  ... Even the embarrassing questions should make you laugh not retreat. Many people are ignorant about cultures. 

I'm proud to tell people I was born and raised in Cameroon. It does not make me any less of a person but prepared me for the life ahead of me. God wants me to be here now and only He knows where I will be tomorrow.

My accent and how I dress may be different, yes! It is okay to be different. In a good and beautiful way. God made us all different to show how dynamic of a God he is. He loves us just as we are and  wants us to be us.

Think about how the world would be if everybody dressed and sounded the same. It was once like that before but God changed thinks around.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” That is why it was called Babel —because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1, 7, 9 NIV)

 Stop trying to be someone else, be you, be strong, be bold about your heritage and be different.