It has only been 2 1/2 months since I have been back in Japan. My biggest fear in coming back was not being able to fit in on the team, and to find a new sense of belonging here. God has been so faithful to use me in ways I never thought possible. It was weird moving back, but I fit right back in and hit the ground running. But... I happened to move back on the busiest time of year for our team here in Osaka. From day one it has been non-stop events, work, language learning, volunteer teams, paperwork, and hanging out with friends. To be completely honest resting is not someting I do well in a normal setting let alone a busy chaotic one. In the midst of all of this I got to move out of a hotel and into my new apartment where I only had a few days to unpack order/deliver furniture, and put it all together.
Needless to say with that and language study, the first thing to go in my life was a consistent Quiet Time or devotional with the Lord each day. I still have read nearly everyday but it has typically been rushed. I know there are a million different ways people plug into and abide/rest in God each day at different times in the day too. For me being able to wake up tell the Lord good morning, sitting out on my balcony with a fresh cup of coffee as the world is waking up (or in most cases has woken up), and starting my day with Him makes all the difference.
Yet again the first thing to go was that special time with the Lord, as well as, regular healthy sleeping habits. Late late nights don't really lend themselves to productive, restful early mornings. It has been draining and its only been two months. I know at this point it sounds like I am rambling but seriously in my home culture in America and my new home culture Japan we are ingrained with the inability or the ignoring of proper rest in the pursuit of stuff, recognition, to distract ourselves, or we just don't even know how to rest. Busy is not bad but staying to busy to rest in God properly is. We were made to rest, and to rest in him. By the way true rest does not mean staying up to the crack of dawn looking like a gremlin after bingeing a netflix series on the eve of a coveted day off, only to sit and do nothing. The idle mind is the devil's playground. True rest is done in community with God, and yes can include down time to watch tv, play a game, read a book or a million different things, but it is always done with God, and we need to be honest not everyone is the same. Some people simply recharge differently, however we need to be intentional about how we rest, and rest actively not being a spud on a couch.
Over the past couple of weeks though God has shown me the importance for rest. It is vital for physical health, mental health, and spiritual health as well. Hebrews 4:9 "Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God's people." Think about that. The creator of everything down to the smallest divisible form of matter on the opposite side of the universe, created us, and made rest for us. He gives rest to those who rest in Him and surrender their lives to Him. God who made everything is just waiting for us to turn to Him and rest. That doesn't mean our situations change, maybe they don't but that in the midst of whatever is going on we can rest and receive peace that surpasses all understanding. Hebrews 4:10 "For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his." This does not mean we can't work (mowing grass, or cooking, etc...) on our sabbath days. There is a fine line between active rest and work. God rested (not that he needed it) to show us and give a model of how to live. When we take the time to slow down, rest, and just take time to enjoy God's good green earth around us our souls are refreshed, and renewed to go out into another day, another week of living with Him and for Him. We are not the energizer bunny after all, and were not made to be.
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” No matter our burden, no matter the situation we find ourselves in, and no matter how busy we are, Jesus Christ is never to busy at all to help us rest in Him and refresh our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies. Just simply go to Him and rest.
Last paragraph I promise... We all rest and sabbath diffrently. I've used the word sabbath a lot. Many people have different ideas of what this looks like. God has led me to believe that sabbath rest for me honestly is not on a Sunday (I know I am treading on thin ice but hear me out). On Sundays that is a ministry day for me from 8am-6pm. Now sunday is a day of worship and community for me, but a true sabbath for me is having a full 24 hour period where I don't have the stresses of work weighing on my mind. Its not always easy, nor is it always a true 24 hour period. A lot of times I have to set work aside to make this happen but check it, if I burn myself out getting everything in on time and ignore rest then how am I setting myself up to last and run the race well. It's not being unproductive to rest but resting so that we can later be more effective and productive. Back to the sabbath day for me though, it is always a day I intentionally protect dedicated time to rest and reconnect with God in the midst of a busy and hectic life. I normally wake up, have an extended quiet time, take stock of the past week, find a new cafe to go to (easy in a city of 20+ million people), try a new restaruant, or take a walk through a nature area. I'm not saying I just have abundant free time. Most of the time, or honestly all of the time, I am having to make a concious effort to not take work home with me, or to choose to say that an assingment or project will still be there tomorrow. Today is for rest. I am not perfect and will always be growing, and there inevitably will always be something to crop up during the day of rest but when I am intentional God is always faithful to help me rest.
With all of this said I'd like to set a personal challenge to me and to all of you for this week.
Have at least 1 day this week where you have a protected time with the Lord.
Find time, make time, and learn to say no to others and yourself, in order to simply be in creation and enjoy it with the Lord.
Ask God to show you how you as an individual rest and recharge. God made us all different.
Find time toward the end of the week where for a few minutes you reflect on and journal what you are thankful for to God (no matter how big or small it seems), journal and take stock of what went well, and what didn't, and then give it all to God. This is your time to be open with the God of the universe who doesn't think ill of our honesty but actually desires it.
Finally what you've all been waiting for the much needed nuts and bolts update:
I have started and I am in the full swing of Language school. I started in the lowest class but in 2 1/2 months I've been able to graduate into the 3rd level class. I have a language evaluation test coming up as well.
The team has been in the full throws of having volunteers nearly every week since I've been back. Many gospel presentations, conversations, and friendships have been given or made.
I have now been meeting with 2 Japanese believers and 1 Chinese unbeliever at church for discipleship. God has been so faithful to work through both the english and japanese languages to really help bridge the gap in my friend from China's heart. He is asking all of the right questions, and is so close to accepting Christ.
I was able to have multiple japanese friends over for a takoyaki (fried octopus pancake ball) party where I was able to reconnect with a friend who had accepted Christ 4 years ago in Japan who moved to canada, and reconnect with my friend and his wife who run a ramen shop near my house. It was a great time of encouragement and God deepening those relationships.
Prayers & Praises
Pray for Robert my Chinese friend who is close to accepting the gospel. Praise he has agreed to meet with me and two other japanese believers.
Pray for my language studies, it constantly feels like I am taking 1 step forward and 4 steps back and that I am making mistakes left and right, but God has been faithful to give me so many conversations in the language and opportunities to share bits of the gospel. Praise I am steadily moving up and didn't seem to loose any while I was in the states.
Pray for the churches here to catch the vision to reach the lost.
Pray for all of our volunteers and teams coming now and through the year that will help us do what God has called us to.
Blessings,
Jacob
Here is a few pictures from the takoyaki party, and what my language learning materials look like.
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