Lessons from Japan

"And yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" Psalm 23:4

When I heard of the events in Japan, the quake, the tsunami and the radio-activity, I was in shock. If there was ever a word that could describe all those events in one word then it would be this "Overkill". Just any of the one would have been enough, instead they had all three.

Any other country, any other place the news may have been filled with stories of refugees trooping out of the country to neighbouring countries, not in Japan. I came across an article last week, that described the attitude of the people of Japan after the events. It is described as a shame to run from the current events happening in that country. A shame regardless of if you are a foreigner or a citizen of Japan. Everyone is expected to stay and fight in their struggle for survival.
In another event, a man braved a tsunami, to take his boat out to sea, his reason? To ensure that the people of the island he lived in could have a way to get off their island when the storm passed. One man on a boat, braved a tsunami and survived. Where there others? Maybe, but no one else made it except him. Today his boat was key to saving countless lives.
What is the point of this, what are the lessons I take from this?

The discipline enforced in the lives of the Japanese, is one that is so deep that regardless of the situation, it always shines through. Looking at the reactions of the Japanese to recent events and comparing it to similar events around the globe and the reactions, one can see a difference. Isn't that something that should shine out in the lives of Christians? No not discipline but godliness.

We all have our individual battles we fight in our lives, at work, at home, school, church, on the roads we walk or drive down. Sometimes we fall, sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed, other times we give up. We choose to run and be safe when we could stand for our rights, our lives, we choose to defer to tomorrow what can be done today, we choose to ask people to step in for tasks we could handle by ourselves. In summary we hand over the control of our lives to things, people and powers that by right, have no right to our lives. Point is, it is your life to live, no one else, you were born into it for a reason, for a purpose and as a Christian, NOTHING, should change that focus. We are soldiers, ambassadors for a greater purpose, a higher calling and although we battle against principalities and powers, we have One in us that is greater than any one outside of us.

Who/What can separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

If you are saved and won't fight for yourself, fight for the ones still lost or even better fight for the ones yet unborn

My heart goes out to the people of Japan.
Live strong