Called into Chaos
I walked into the doctor’s office. A crowd of people was swarming the reception desk. I tried to stand in line, but people kept crowding around me. I tried to keep my place in line, but it was hard. In situations like this, when I am frustrated by the apparent chaos and disorder surrounding me, I remind myself, “Chaos breeds chaos.” This motto has taught me to maintain a tidy living space, to pause before entering a crisis, and to help prevent a reactive response in swarms of people. As someone working cross-culturally, I often navigate between what feels secure and familiar, and what feels disorienting and unfamiliar. Jordan Peterson explores this dynamic as the tension between order and chaos. Duane Elmer offers a practical model for how Christians can serve faithfully in the midst of it. For this blog, I will look at some of Peterson’s thoughts on how a “hero” balances chaos and order. Then, I will present Elmer’s suggestions on Christians leading cross-culturally.
In Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief, Jordan Peterson addresses how chaos and order are a part of the human experience in searching for purpose in life. Order is what we already know. Chaos is the unknown aspects that threaten the order in our lives. According to Peterson, life is a constant interplay between chaos and order.[1] He describes the journey of a hero—one who leaves the known order of his life, enters the unknown chaos, learns through that transition, and returns with a new sense of meaning and order. In chapter 5, he highlights how the hero becomes the bridge between these two realms.[2] The hero is strong, capable, stands outside of the status quo, and chooses purpose and meaning over stability.[3] The hero enters the chaos of the unknown with the desire to bring new order and understanding.[4] Courage and perseverance are displayed as the hero mediates between chaos and order.[5]
Living cross-culturally often feels like a hero’s journey—constantly encountering the unknown, learning through experience, and working hard to make sense of it all. However, for Christians, the ultimate hero is Jesus. Unlike mythical figures, He didn’t seek glory or adventure. He humbled Himself. He left the perfect order of Heaven to enter the chaos of Earth, not just to survive it but to redeem it.
Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV):
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
How do we follow Christ’s example of humility as we step between the chaos of unfamiliar cultures and the comfort of our own? Duane Elmer, in Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility, offers a powerful framework for leading across cultures with grace. He writes that serving others means relating to them “in such a way that their dignity as human beings is affirmed and they are more empowered to live God-glorifying lives.”[6]
Elmer identifies six elements for a cross-cultural servanthood model:
- Serving affirms the dignity of others and empowers them to live God-glorifying lives.[7]
- Understanding moves us beyond our egocentrism to see the world through others’ perspectives.[8]
- Learning is the humility to identify with those who are different from us.[9]
- Trust building avoids chaos and confusion by forming relational foundations.[10]
- Acceptance communicates value and esteem.[11]
- Openness invites us to step out of the known order and into the vulnerable unknown.[12]
Just as Peterson’s hero enters chaos seeking meaning, Elmer’s servant-leader steps into cultural dissonance, seeking to love, empower, and introduce others to Christ. Both require courage. Both demand humility.Finding true meaning in life is only through Jesus, the ultimate Servant Leader and Prince of Peace. He is the one who offers redemption from the chaos of sin. Chaos does not have to breed more chaos. When met with humility and Christlike service, it can become the very space where meaning is forged, trust is built, and transformation begins.
[1] Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013), 48.
[2] Ibid, 308.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid, 360.
[5] Ibid, 328.
[6] Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 132.
[7] Ibid, 132.
[8] Ibid, 119.
[9] Ibid, 137.
[10] Ibid, 75.
[11] Ibid, 137.
[12] Ibid.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV14 responses to “Called into Chaos”
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Hi Kari, I really appreciated your emphasis on Elmer’s six elements of cross-cultural servanthood. I’ve always admired your genuine love for people and openness to new cultures—you inspire me! I’m curious: of the six elements Elmer outlines, which one comes most naturally to you? And which one requires the most courage to step into?
Kari,
Let me piggy back onto Elysse’s question. Looking at those 6 elements, I see Christ engaged in all of them, but if you had to pick one of the 6 that Christ really excelled at, which would you pick and why?
Jeff, I have always admired Jesus’ servant leadership. I am still in awe that, He, the Creator of the Universe, came to earth and was willing to eat with sinners, put mud on blind eyes, and to serve rather than to be served.
Elysse, this was harder to answer than I initially thought. Living cross-culturally has forced me to learn many of these skills. But, if I look back even into my childhood, serving has come naturally to me. Trust-building takes the most courage for me because I am only able to do 50% of the building. The other 50% I have to “risk” that the other party will also do the same.
Hi Kari,
I like your comment about Jesus entering the chaos of the world. Thank you for that. I also appreciate your awareness of being in the midst of chaos at times and how your home helps balance what might come from the outside. My question was similar to Elysse regarding which of the 6 elements of cross-cultural servanthood model comes to mind first when you are in the midst of a chaotic situation?
Diane, that is an excellent question. Openness in chaotic situations allows one to put aside the anxiety of the unknown and rather step into it with a sense of adventure and anticipation.
Hi Kari,
Thank you for sharing your post. I can relate, to some extent, to the chaos that comes with entering another culture. From your perspective, how does stepping into unfamiliar cultures reflect the ‘chaos’ described by Peterson? What kinds of growth and meaning have you personally experienced through this journey?
Hi Shela, Peterson defines chaos as the unknown threatening the order of the known in our lives. When we cross cultures, we step out of the known into the unknown, chaos.
The more I have stepped into the chaos of unknown cultures, the less unknown it becomes. I learn to rely on the cross-cultural skills I have developed and also understand the process through experience. It is now less scary and chaotic to me through this personal growth.
Hi Kari, Peterson goes through many Biblical stories in which the hero narrative is played out, in some form. Are there any of the stories that Peterson analyzes that especially resonate with your lived experience?
Christy, the story of Joseph deeply resonates with me. Peterson highlights Joseph’s maturity, being able to respond to past suffering and injustice and transform it into a blessing for nations rather than become bitter. Perhaps one day, I will have even a tiny portion of the influence Joseph has had. However, I see how God has used my past suffering and injustices to walk through those with others in deeper understanding and humility.
Kari,
I never thought to synthesize this with Elmer’s book. Your intro reminded me of standing in “line” at a bank in Kenya. Pure chaos. Of the six things you listed from Elmer, which one might you struggle to engage with the most?
Hi Adam, In the list from Elmer, understanding is the hardest for me to engage in areas where I feel especially passionate about my perspective or “my way.” I also find this especially challenging in a cross-cultural situation.
Hi Kari, I appreciate how you bring us into a deeper awareness of the constant cross cultural tension that you face. It brings a reflective enlightement. I also appreciate how you bought Elmer into your writing. Of Elmer’s six elements for cross-cultural servanthood, which have you found to be the most important and why?
Thanks, Daren. I believe the most important element is learning. The humility that comes with being a learner can direct impact all of the other elements: serving others in a way they understand, learning through understanding other’s perspectives, building trust by showing a learner’s spirit rather than coming in with answers, learning to be able to appreciate and accept others, learning allows us to be open and vulnerable as and step out of our known order.