Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord

I have been back in Japan for nearly 11 months.  1 year and 16 days ago I was offered this position.  This was a definite call from God as He threw the door wide open providing more than I realized.  What has become especially important to me are the people in my life.  As always, God surrounds me with people to encourage me and also people who need encouragement from me.  I have a church that provides the home and family affection I need, I have coworkers who are more than willing to help me as I deal with the ever frustrating fact that I am illiterate in this country, and I have students who unashamedly say, "I love you!" in the halls.  In addition, God has connected me with people who are more distant in relation to my work and church.  In this way, I have felt like I have been able to immerse myself into this community.

It is still my hope, for God to open the hearts of those around me and call them to him.  For Him to use me, giving me the words to speak or right course of action to take.  It's not easy, and those who seem open to Christianity, have a part of themselves closed to anything more than simple acceptance of us.  I don't want my God to be the God of a foreign people group in the eyes of the Japanese.  I want Him to be real to them.

As I sit here in the office on this day of torrential downpour typing this, I look upon the sleeping face of my coworker, my junior here in terms of arrival.  He serves on the religion committee with me as the only non-Christian.  My heart goes out to him and my other coworkers.  What will my Lord have me do?

Delicious Indian food made by my friends on Sunday.

A new acquaintance braving Friday's torrential downpour in order to hail a taxi.

Kanazawa Bay when I drove up there last Tuesday.

In God We Trust

How many times have you watched a movie or television show that ended with you thinking Man, I wish that was my life!? How many times have those heart-fluttering kisses, wild chases, and passionate declarations left you feeling envious?

What about those times when you've watched a movie or television show that ended with you thinking Glad that isn't my life!? How many times have you watched a murder or horrific accident and thought little of it. When it ends you think That sucks and move on with your life.

Think about all the legal/detective shows that are on TV now: Law and Order, Castle, NCIS, Hawaii 5-0, Psych, Blue Bloods. How relieved you feel when they finally figure out "who done it" and the man/woman is found "guilty" and taken away and the show ends with the main characters explaining how they "figured it out" and laugh it off over a nice coffee.

How often do these shows ever focus on the family of the defendant while they await the sentencing? The pleas the family and friends make before the judge on behalf of their beloved father, mother, son, or daughter? The tears that can't stop flowing from the defendant's face? A moment that would make every member of the jury wonder if they voted correctly should they have been privileged to see that moment? Justice is blind because she can't see the emotional part of a case.

Have you ever found yourself in a court room? Not for a mock debate or minor traffic violation, but to watch a serious debate regarding past mistakes and the future of someone you know. Maybe you were the parent or sibling of the person standing trial. Perhaps even the spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend. Or maybe you were just there because you were a long time family friend and you cared deeply about their pain.

If you have, then you know how there is no food you can bring, no word you can say, no scripture you can quote that can take away the pain. And so you hug and hold tight to the loved ones that are still with you and you pray for the one who is now taken from you, his/her freedom confiscated. You pray that something good will come from all this suffering, but you have little faith.

Faith or not, doesn't change this one fact: our God is just, but He is not blind. He cares so much about each person about the emotion. He offers so much mercy. An inexplicable emotion must have been in the heart of God when he sent His son to die for us.  Even though He, who knows all things, knew very well that Christ would rise again on the third day. There is comfort to think that our little faith in the good we hope will come out of a dire situation, is nothing compared to the knowledge of God who was still pained by loss.