My U Squad gets to pioneer for future World Racers this month, and to build a foundation for what will hopefully come next! And the Lord will use this time to start to bring dry bones to life! So without further ado the World Race now has stepped ground into Japan! A country that is seen as a “suicidal mission for missionaries”, but we as a squad are stepping in faith and know that God is going to produce so much fruit and put those past words of what Japan is to missionaries away and instead bring life instead of death!
Japan from what I have experienced is a very different culture than the ones we have been in these past months. The city that we are in, Osaka, is a very organized place, so organized in fact and clean that it puts a lot of the United States cities to shame if I am being honest. The people here are welcoming, at least from what I have seen, and honor is huge here.
The awesome thing is that we will be doing a lot of ATLing this month or “treasure hunts” as we are going to call them to find the gold and bring it out in people. We will get to live with families some of whom are Christian, some that aren’t and some where the homes are divided; then others of us will be living in churches. The Lord has been good in providing places for us to stay and has opened the hearts of these Japanese families to allow us to come into their homes.
It’s going to be an exciting time of adventure, challenges, and new experiences this month and I can’t wait to begin them. Actually we already have gotten to experience a part of Japanese culture that allowed us to really get out of our comfort zone. It’s something that we do everyday, but in America the way we are brought up would never allow us to do this. We got to experience communal bathing together. Yep, we got to fully burst the last possible bubble of our personal space and bathe/shower together; don’t worry future Racers and parents there are separate places for the guys and girls to shower.
There were a lot of mixed emotions when we were informed of this but if there is anything that you can take away from the World Race is learning to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. In the end though, despite being naked and fully exposed to everyone (at least all the women) most people have said it was an enjoyable and freeing experience. And guess what, this was on our first day here…I’m sure that there are going to be more “I have to do what?” experiences and I can’t wait to see what is in store.
So, why am I telling you this? Simply because in my uncomfortability of being naked and fully exposed I was reminded how this what God calls us to be with him. To get uncomfortable and to be willing to step out in faith and trust him in all circumstances. To be willing to allow him to break us down with all our insecurities, all our doubts, and all our fears so that we are fully naked and exposed to allow him to work in us fully.
Because when we take off all our “clothing” meaning all our masks, our pretending, and allow ourselves to have nothing on is when God can work on us best. When we fully surrender and have nothing left but to be real, raw, and exposed to God then we actually have a willing heart that is fully reliant on him and not on ourselves we then can grow, and be changed. Often times when I am reluctant, worried, or afraid I cover myself with other things and not God. I allow my time to be filled with work, sports, friends, or anything else but him.
It’s sad that I would allow myself to do that, but I’m human, and through these experiences I am able to learn how I need to rely more on God’s strength than my own. It is through his strength and guidance that my every day tasks can have joy, my work, my running around doesn’t need to be stressed. This month since I have no clue what each day will bring I’ll be relying on God and his guidance. To come to him willingly, unclothed, naked and exposed to allow him to fully work on me and change me.
Japan is going to be a time of change, a time of hope, and a time of living each and everyday willingly for God to move. We should be delighted about the opportunity to live each and every day. To take another breath and to learn one more thing about the character of God. We should want to move from dancing on the edge of heaven to be in heaven; to be all in for God through it all. Because God is good all the time, not just some of the time. When we swap being clothed and hidden for God to expose us and shape us into new people its pretty amazing. Because when we let love guide our way, when we let God guide our way His plans shake things up and his light is exposed.
