Masks. They are a deadly thing, and most people don't even know they have them on.
Masks. They hide who you really are, making you unable to be open enough to share what is really going on with the people you love.
I'm here in Osaka, Japan, the region which is said to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
This is exactly why Japan is full of people who are wearing masks. They all don't know about the love of Christ, so they strive for things to fill them up that really don't.
When we first got here, everyone looked almost perfect -so beautiful and dressed so proper -but you can feel their dissatisfaction when you look into their eyes.
You can feel how heavy it is but it doesn't hit hard until you have been here for a while.
Everyone is striving to be better than the person next to them. But, I don't know if it is really to be better than anyone, or if it's just to try and keep up with everyone else around them.
Before I left for the race and before I knew I was coming to Japan, I was told that as long as I don't go to Japan I will be good. Because, “You know, those people are so terrible. They came in and destroyed our land when they attacked at Pearl Harbor…”Sure, they attacked us and killed a lot of people, but didn't we do the same thing?
From what I've experienced here, these people are so sweet, and they bend over backwards to make sure that we are comfortable. They are very generous – a lot more then most Americans – and that's sad to say.
They have their arms open wide, and welcome us for who we are. For some crazy reason, these people who are supposed to be horrible, terrible people who can't be trusted, have made me feel loved and cared for.
Fact is, God created these people and loves them very much, and it breaks my heart to see His children suffering the way that they are.
It hurts God to see His little girls enslaved in prostitution, or His young men watching porn openly on the subway, and His older men and/or women homeless living in a box under a bridge.
Isn't that supposed to be what breaks our hearts too?
Aren't we supposed to love people in such a way that everyone knows that we are God's children?
My prayer many times over and over again is 'God break my heart for what breaks yours.'
Here's the problem though…… How can you love someone in the same way as Christ if you are still holding on to something that happened years and years ago?
The Bible tells us to forgive, because we can't love someone if we don't let go of something that happened a long time ago. I mean, the Father forgave you for all the times you sinned against Him. Which in my book is a whole heck of a lot more.
That's some pretty heavy stuff……
The way I see it is, these people are no different than Americans. They breath the same air that we do and they all bleed red.
It's not the nationality that keeps us separated, it the sins that we have committed against each other and the grudges being held. There comes a time in everyone's life when you really need to ask yourself if holding so much hate is worth it anymore.
Matthew 6:14-15 – If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Prayer Requests
1. Please pray for direction and clarity
2. Pray for freedom in Japan
3. Pray for safe travels
4. Pray for unity within the squad and teams
