The nail that sticks up

“The nail that sticks up gets pounded down!” I cannot remember the first time I heard this chilling assessment of Japanese culture, but it struck dread into the soul of this rugged individualist. I had heard that Asian culture was group oriented, which also gave me serious pause. However, one thing that had attracted me to Japan was the sweetness of my first Japanese homestay guest, who received Christ at an annual passion play we attended in Puyallup, Washington. For three and a half years, Sumiko kept inviting me to Japan. Once I got here for a two-week visit, I was dazzled by the warm reception I received. I felt welcomed as a unique individual (as I discovered later, perhaps because I was a foreigner). Delighted, I brought several of my new Japanese friends to the 1994 Billy Graham Crusade in the Tokyo Dome in hopes that they, too, would give their lives to Christ. To my own surprise, I went forward to dedicate the rest of my life to serving Christ in Japan. My friends went forward with me but only to support me in my decision.

When I got home, I filled out an application form to serve in Shizuoka and was shortly on my way. Only after I moved here did the hammer hit the nail. Gradually, I realized that I wasn’t fitting in as well as I had as a tourist. In a staff meeting one day, I related an incident from my high school years when I asked my mother’s permission to do something. She hesitated to say yes, so I said, “Everybody’s doing it!”

She retorted, “Are you a girl or a sheep?”

“I’m a girl,” I said.

“Then don’t act like a sheep!”

Hearing this story, my Japanese supervisor exclaimed, “But sheep are good!”

“Only if their shepherd is headed in the right direction!” was my instant reply, which did not smooth the waters. The time came when this “nail” was not permitted to attend a weekly working people’s fellowship that was conducted in my own home, because I was not Japanese.

It soon became clear that the situation was much worse for Japanese than for me. One of my former university students wrote about having been kicked out of class, merely for having given the wrong answer to the teacher’s question. Thankfully, rather than giving up, he resolved to pursue excellence.

One by one, Japanese members of a secular self-help recovery group I belonged to were ejected, because they were found to be “consorting” with other self-help organizations. Eventually, because I too was a member of another group, I was accosted after one group’s meeting, stripped of the funds I was about to use for literature I had ordered for our group, and all other accoutrements of the organization, and told never to have anything to do with that organization again.

Even if they manage to stop short of such a harsh reaction, many Japanese people seem to be doing their best to stay invisible, and hopefully safe. (A recent example of when someone did act out was the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe.)

Although my discomfort as a protruding nail was not life-threatening, the pain did drive me to Jesus’s feet, asking him what to do. I felt him say to me, “Anyone who pounds on you, pounds on Me, and anyone who pounds on Me will be broken. Even if the whole society pounds on you, it will be broken, and it needs to be broken in order for Me to raise up My Kingdom.” That took the pressure off! I was comforted in knowing that “the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (Rom. 9:33 NIV 1984).

It has been my privilege to extend Jesus’s protective covering over women seeking something better than their societies have offered them so far. Bible Discovery Group is a weekly gathering now composed of five women—three Japanese, one Chinese, and one American. They appreciate an atmosphere of acceptance of various ideas, with no question being seen as foolish and no answer being rejected as wrong. In the group, we are seeking truth, who Jesus is, and making various discoveries as we adventure together, checking the validity against the standard of God’s Word. We choose our study materials together, according to individuals’ needs and preferences.

Recently, a scripture I heard growing up in church kept coming to mind: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16 NASB 1995). When I first heard the verse, I felt ashamed because my “works” certainly weren’t perfect. What glory could that bring to God? Although concerned about pride, I had to consciously remind myself that seeking God’s glory is the opposite of pridefulness. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t heard or shared that scripture for a long time. Have I been slipping? I wondered. Have I subconsciously been seeking to become invisible in order to dodge the descending hammer?

Since beginning to write this article, I have been blessed with an opportunity to stick up: the leader of our kumi (neighborhood association unit) visited me, asking 2,000 yen in annual fees. I was surprised, because I had been paying 9,900 yen per year, but had noticed that my kairanban (circulating community bulletin board) hadn’t been showing up on my doorstep. When I inquired, Ms. M. explained that while the 2,000 yen covers trash and recycling pick-up, the kairanban is only for those with membership in the community association. I said I had been a member for the past 20 years since I moved here. I learned that, because the other three families renting houses in this complex where I have lived for five and a half years opted not to join the association, it was assumed that I had dropped out! I had unknowingly become invisible. When you’re invisible, you might be safe, but it’s often difficult to know what’s going on, let alone to have a say in it. I was delighted to be a shiny nail sticking up, reaffirming my desire for full membership in our neighborhood association and paying the full fee for it!

Three nights later when I came home from class, I was happy to see a kairanban on my doorstep containing information of great interest to me about the Shimizu Port Festival Kappore (“Celebrate Life” street dance). The next morning, I was glad to carry the kairanban down the hill to the kind neighbors I had previously lived next door to for nine years. They were surprised to hear my story, having also thought that I had dropped out of the association. To my amazement, that night our kumi leader dropped by again with a personal invitation to the kappore, for which no one in our kumi had yet signed up. Declining regretfully, I explained that I had asked God and received guidance not to let the good squeeze out the best in my schedule.

Reminders like the theme of this issue of Japan Harvest can help us to keep free of cultural restraints, so that we model God’s values for those who are watching us and stick up like shiny nails for Jesus!

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/24634911426/