His mercies are new every morning

Dear fellow child of God, living and loving people in Japan,

Greetings from Miyagi Prefecture, my home where I live with my husband, three children, and one dog. My desire in writing is to encourage you—wherever you may be—to persevere, to hold tightly to Jesus, and to stay the course that he lays before you.

God’s great faithfulness

I do not presume to have it “all together” (Phil. 3:12 MSG) or have any strength to keep going beyond what Jesus has given me. I know our Heavenly Father is generous in his love towards each of us. I also know he wants more Japanese people to know and experience this amazing love in relationship with Jesus Christ.

And so, God made a way for each of us to come to Japan, whether for a short season or a longer one. He has brought us to big cities and small country towns and to a variety of ministries. God brought us from all over the world, with our strengths and weaknesses, because he knows best and knows where he can use our weaknesses and strengths to point people to himself. I asked God what might be a scripture or song that would encourage us all in this season, and he clearly brought the old hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” to mind three different times within two days. Maybe you can listen to a recording, or read through the lyrics again, and be reminded of God’s great faithfulness.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23 NIV). This verse provides the framework for sharing some testimonies of God’s faithfulness in my life and lessons I have learned.

Comparison with others never helps

In the course of living in Japan for over fifteen years, I have at times let my desire to “fit in” or “do things correctly” (at least what I thought was correct) have too much power. This has, in turn, created great stress—especially over time.

For example, as a young mom, I lived in a rental house in close proximity to our neighbors in a country area of southern Japan. All the women around me were awake and had their laundry hanging up quite early in the morning. So I thought as a “good missionary” I needed to adjust and do the same thing—after all, I had received good training about how to adjust to the culture. And the laundry wasn’t going to get dry if it wasn’t hung up early.

Some days I felt “success”—I got the laundry washed and hung up before the kids went to school. But most days I was left with that “I don’t measure up and I’m not good enough” message running through my head. Eventually we found a coin laundry and took our laundry there to use the dryer, especially during the rainy season. (And now in 2020, we have one of those washer/dryers and a dehumidifier to help dry our laundry. But I still hang it outside on some days, depending on the weather.)

Over time I realized that how well I did my laundry or if I got everything right for school wasn’t what was most important. My neighbors didn’t ever scold me for how I did or didn’t do my laundry. Neither did God. But I was certainly hard on myself for a time. I was comparing myself to others and you probably know that never helps—in fact it caused a lot of stress. But thankfully God helped me see myself for who he made me to be. And he continues to do that. I hope and pray you are learning to also view yourself through God’s eyes of great love and grace.

God-given gifts

God has given us each gifts that are to be used for him. We know that because the Bible tells us. You may be like me and wonder sometimes if that gift is really a strength or a weakness, especially in your local context. But I can assure you that God has a reason and a purpose, even if we don’t see it at the moment.

I tend to be empathetic and feel my friends’ pain and sadness deeply, sometimes even for people I don’t know. Once a friend told me, “Thank you for listening —I was really touched that you cried with me.” She appreciated that I shared some of the pain with her. Another time a friend wrote me, “The church needs more people like you.” These voices affirmed my gifting and my choice to come alongside someone going through a hard time, even sharing tears.

Sharing tears in some cultures and contexts is seen as weakness and not welcomed. But God’s given us John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” Jesus shared in the sadness of the moment. And Jesus is the strongest one I know. I am so thankful this verse is in the Bible because it shows that Jesus understands our human emotions.

I’ve had the unfortunate experience of being corrected because of my tears, but even through that, God has held me and taught me much. He has faithfully affirmed my worth in him and how much he cares and understands. He’s faithfully brought people alongside me or given me a song for that season. And he even continues to make ways for us to remain in ministry in Japan. There have been plenty of opportunities along the way for my husband and me to be completely discouraged and ask if God really wanted us here. At least for the time being, this is what keeps us here.

If you are going through a season that just doesn’t make sense or seems like it is hard to minister in Japan, please hold on. God knows and God cares. He will guide you step by step. He will make a way.

I want to leave you with the verse that God highlighted for me in the summer of 2016 when my uncle in the US was in the final stages of cancer. One day, after being very sick for many days, my uncle called us. He asked me, “What is the reference for the verse that says, ‘Be still and know that I am God’?” My husband quickly looked it up, and from that day, Psalm 46:10 has been highlighted in my life.

The whole verse says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (NIV). God is using you to exalt his name here in Japan. May we each be strengthened day by day for what is ahead. Thank you for loving God and letting him love others through you.

Your fellow child of God in Japan,
Rhonda