>>785509
Personally, I wasn't a cradle Christian or particular naive about the world. I was kind of a thug when I was younger. And my "alertness" and caution that I got from living this way has never truly dissipated - but it's gotten me in trouble as a Christian too.
One small example: I remember volunteering for a church outreach program for homeless in my city. I was working overnight at a shelter with a couple of older fellows. Some drunk homeless guys caused trouble in the middle of the night and were trying to get in when doors had closed. I finally opened the door to tell them to stop, and told them it closed for the night. They ignored me and tried shoving me aside to get in. I don't exactly remember what I did, but I made them get out.. forcefully. That just made things worse, and one of them remained belligerent outside like he wanted to kill me. It took one of the old guys to persuade him kindly. Maybe I should have done that to begin with.
I don't even know how I'd manage myself if I was a missionary or something. Probably not be very cool with hostiles (which, no doubt, you would see). This isn't good. I want to help people, but I'm instinctually defensive and often know where trouble is before it even begins. I'm exactly what you're saying people should be, but I haven't been as much help as that old man probably. Or, say, an old nun running a school in one of these foreign areas. These are the people who do better work, like it or not.