Last Sunday I was able to experience something new and out of my comfort zone. I was a little hesitant at first, but I decided to go through with it, that is, bachata dancing. I got in the car with two of my best of pals and we drove through Center City until we arrived at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As we approached the museum, you could hear the music playing from a distance and eventually we found the spot where the event was being held.

The DJ stopped the music a few minutes after our arrival and at that moment I realized that it was time to do this . . . 

After about twenty minutes of dancing on the Rocky Steps, we then headed out to try and find a place to eat. As we were driving around, we saw multiple Puerto Rican flags hanging out the back of people’s cars and all over the porches of resident’s homes. Out of curiosity I hopped onto Google to see if there were any events happening in Philly, and I eventually found out that the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade had happened earlier that morning. My friends and I decided to go out to our favorite Puerto Rican restaurant, Freddy & Tony’s, in honor of it being Puerto Rican Day.

Our day was filled with fun and exciting experiences, but more importantly, it was filled with a culture that was not of our own.

As I was reminiscing about our day, I began thinking of all the different cultural experiences I have had so far in life…Some of my fondest memories involve people who have a different perspective from my own. With the city being in close proximity to campus, there are countless opportunities for you to experience a culture other than your own. As followers of Christ, I am convinced that God desperately desires us to experience cultures from every part of the world; every individual, and every culture, is another representation of the Creator in which we have yet to learn from. Although it may not be listed as one of the Ten Commandments, in many ways, cultural experiences add significant value to our lives and supports the greatest commandant ever given to us:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30,31

Jesus was a Jewish man, but did he only hang out with other Jews? Instead, Jesus went out into all the world and made conversation with people of every tongue and every nation. We must also get out of our own comfort zone, and step out into something unfamiliar…something that may just seem out of the ordinary.

Being among different cultures also gives us a greater perspective on who God is. If every individual on this earth was made in the image of God…then every individual must have significant value, worth, and purpose. By meeting new people, people that do not necessarily look like us, dress like us, or act like us, we can begin to get a taste of what Heaven will look like.

Revelation 7:9 says, “After this, looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

So, “Dance Your Way Through Different Cultures” around us right here in Philadelphia, and begin to share your experiences with others, inviting them in on this journey. It’s a dance that will continue throughout eternity!