Deeper and Deeper

In the past 4 months, I feel like I have grown in many ways. In this post you can read about my thoughts on becoming closer to God through my experience of moving to Japan.

I suck at swimming in deep waters. I don’t really like going deeper then twelve or thirteen feet because if feels like my ear drums are going to burst, and my sinuses are going to shoot out of my eyeballs. Obviously its possible to go deeper, just look at scuba divers. When I was younger I actually thought that if you were a scuba diver, all of that gear would make you immune to any of that misery. But obviously that’s not true. People that dive into deep waters need to train in order to reach new depths. You can be the most experienced swimmer, swimming on the surface, but you dive down deep, you will still be met by the pain of the water pressure, which won’t allow you to swim any deeper in comfort. I am no swimmer, so what I'm about to say may be complete bogus, but its a logical guess. One of the ways to swim deeper is by practicing swimming deeper, diving down until it gets too uncomfortable. The more you do this, the easier it will get, then you can move onto new depths. I have also heard that you can plug your nose and pop your ears...but for the sake of this story, lets focus on the first one I mentioned.

Living life where you are trying to find a deeper relationship with God is similar to a swimmer trying to reach new depths. While I was going to school at Trinity Western University, I was blessed to be surrounded with a community that all strives to know God better. Every weekday there was chapel at 11am, every Sunday the parking lots would be empty between 9am and noon because most of the students are off at church. There were many opportunities to join Bible studies with your peers, and many clubs that allow you to share Gods love out in the community. I went there for five years and feel that I have learned a lot spiritually from my experiences. I feel that my faith grew from my parents faith, into my own faith. But the part that was challenging was figuring out ways where I could apply my faith.

In the five years, my faith was not challenged just because of the setting I was living in. Of course you are thankful for being there and have faith that God will keep providing money so that I could continue to study there, but the usefulness of the faith that we as Christians have goes much deeper then that.

Soon after Graduation, I was offered a job in Japan. This is some place that I never imagined working, living or even wanting to visit. All that a side, and pushing my own human nature and desires away, I felt that this was a calling from God. Having a Job where I get to meet lots of new people, serve others, and travel were all on my wish list for a job, and guess what? That’s exactly what this job is. I am here teaching English to children, young adults and adults. More importantly, I get to be a light for God and share Gods love with them. None of this could have ever happened if God didn’t have a hand in it. I needed to have absolute faith in God that if there is where He wanted me, that we would get me here. He did just that, plus more. I have arrived in a place where I feel very comfortable and a part of the church family. Of course I miss friends and family back at home, but the love that is shown to me here makes missing loved once much easier.

From the time that I decided to take the job, I felt it necessary to turn 100% of my life over to God. In the past 3 months, I have grown so much closer to God. Many times more then I grew when a Christian community surrounded me. 1% of Japan claim to be Christians, and 99% claim to be Buddhist. I have realized that those five years in university, God was cultivating and fertilizing my field, getting ready to plant seeds that will grow. Being in a country where you are minority in both race and religion, the reliance on God for guidance and protection goes way up. Everyday I live with out the distractions of my close friends, but instead spend that time focusing on God, seeking his guidance and renew my strength in Him. I know that the only way that I will have the strength to plan lessons and chapels is if I rely on God to guide me through each day and week. It would be too over whelming for me to live life by myself, I will burn out if try to take it all upon myself.

Coming here to Japan was definitely outside my comfort zone. But since I am an adventure seeker, it is right up my ally. Through all of this, I have stretched myself, which has allowed everything that I learned in university to find its place in different areas where I'm growing. We as Christians can wake up every morning, read the Bible, and go about our daily routines with out a hitch. But in order to reach the next level in your relationship with God, you need to rely on him, and trust in him. Just like the swimmer that swims at the service, he will never be able to swim deeper if he does not train to swim deeper. As a Christian, you will never be able to grow deeper if you just read the Bible. Sure, you will know a lot, but what does knowledge do to faith when its not put to use? It creates questions and doubts. If we take risks, and allow God to give us opportunities to rely on him, we can see how His power is real, and will deepen our relationship with God.

Blessings,
Kris