Most people don’t know this about me but I wore this same Vovinam uniform for 7 years when I was a child. In my eyes though, it wasn’t just a karate uniform I would put on 2 times a week…. it was a mark of shame. It was shame that I was born Asian. It was a shame that I wasn’t like the rest of my friends: beautiful, blonde haired and blue eyed. It was a shame that was brought on by being made fun of every morning at the bus stop. It was the shame that made me resent my family and where I came from. It was the shame that made me want to do everything in my power to never be seen as Asian. But then, I surrendered my life to a man named Jesus Christ.
I thought accepting Christ as my savior simply changed my eternal destiny but it wasn’t just that… it completely transformed me from the inside out.
All of a sudden, my perspective of the world changed. It was almost like the Spirit put on new goggles over my eyes. I saw that the purpose of my life wasn’t all about making money and seeking the approval of others. I was able to see life, the world and it’s people differently. All of a sudden, he wasn’t just a homeless man begging for money on the streets. She wasn’t just the waitress bringing me my food. He wasn’t just the mail man delivering my Amazon orders… they were all someone MY savior died for. Now when I look at people, stranger or not, I wonder. I truly wonder if they know how much God loves them.
In my mother’s wound…God made me who I am. He made me the daughter of a hard-working Vietnamese man who came to America as a refugee. He made me the daughter of an American-born Chinese woman who has the biggest heart I know. He made me a half Chinese, half Vietnamese daughter to two absolutely loving parents. He made me… not so that I could believe the lies of Satan that I’m unworthy in any way. He made me to know Him, through accepting what His son did for me. He made me to be proud of His creation. He made me in His image. He made me so I don’t have to wonder if others around me know how much God loves them. He made me so I can tell them myself.
But most importantly, He made me to be unashamed. For once in my life, I’m unashamed of being Asian because I’m unashamed to call myself the daughter of the highest of high King.
