When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Acts 14:11

It was well before cell phones when I first started doing mission work in Haiti. Nonetheless, I was warned that I should never take a villager’s photograph without their permission. A great deal of them thought that taking their photo would steal their soul.

The concept was incredibly foreign to me. Then I realized that taking pictures was incredibly foreign to them. It all comes down to the fact that we each view life through our own eyes. That view is framed by perspective, experience, understanding and culture. Until one or more of those things change and/or grow, we are limited by their boundaries.

In Acts 14, the people of Lystra’s frame of reference is Greek mythology. When Paul heals the lame man in verses 8-10, the people automatically assume he is the Greek god, Hermes, and Barnabas is Zues. No matter how much Paul and Barnabas try to explain that their healing power comes from Christ, the people cannot grasp the concept. Instead, they offer Paul and Barnabas the same sacrifices they’d offer to a Greek god. Holding too tightly to their pre-conceived notions, the people never recognize the opportunity of true faith in their midst.

I haven’t been back to Haiti in over thirty-five years. I assume that with the pervasiveness of cell phones in the world, even the most remote corners of the earth now understand that photographs do not steal souls. I presume villagers now welcome missionaries taking their photos, realizing it’s a great way to capture the moment and be remembered.

But what about us? Do we allow our horizons to expand so we welcome the new people and modes that witness to Christ? Or do we cling too tightly to our pre-conceived notions of what faith should look like, missing the opportunities for growth in our midst?