Japan's Need for Love

It is with discretion that I write this. Given the subject matter of the article I reference there may be offense taken by the reader. Ultimately I feel as though it warrants discussion and prayer for a people that are unreached and in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
   and bring her into the wilderness,
   and speak tenderly to her."
Hosea 2:14

One of the earliest commandments of God to his creation is to multiply (Genesis 1:28). God’s people are given the call to subdue the earth and cultivate it, and to procreate.  There are many more qualities to a family that God ordains as the scriptures unfold. A couple of these being: children are a heritage and a blessing (Psalm 127), a wife is a good thing (Proverbs 18:22).

Further examination of God’s word shows us that our sinful nature rails against the ordination of family.  If it weren’t for our sinful hearts I can think of little other reason for the reminder of Ephesians 5 and 6 to exist in our holy scriptures. These passages coincide with the acknowledgment that family life is difficult.

·      Children, obey your parents. Honor your father and mother… (6:1-2a)

·      Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. (5:22)

·      Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her (5:25)

One of the greatest ways to help pour into the life of another believer of Christ, particularly if you’re farther down the road, is to acknowledge that it’s hard. For another man to tell me, “Yes, learning how to love and honor your wife is hard,” is invaluable. The context of biblical community is the best way for this to occur. With a group of men and women (and sometimes even children) reminding one another through scripture the call that God has given us. It is a good thing to obey and strive after the biblical calling of family.

In Japan, the gospel has yet to ever penetrate the culture. My heart remains broken as I read this article from London’s Guardian several days ago. It reports on a broken aspect of Japanese culture that has permeated to an alarming degree.  The article candidly discusses some alarming actualities—some of which are particularly embarrassing to read about. A large amount of Japanese people aren’t having sex. They aren’t marrying. They aren’t even dating. It reflects a culture that has all of the modern day comforts that the world would deem fitting, but has been lost for thousands of years without a compass of truth to point them towards Hope.

When you read this article through the lenses of the gospel you read this article with God’s design in the family in mind it becomes a bit more impactful.  A couple of excerpts:

“Japan already has one of the world’s lowest birth rates. It’s population of 126 million, which has been shrinking for the past decade, is projected to plunge a further one-third by 2060. Aoyama believes the country is experiencing “a flight from human intimacy”

“A survey in 2011 found that 61% of unmarried men and 49% of women aged 18-34 were not in any kind of romantic relationship, a rise of almost 10% from five years earlier.”

The article even begins to articulate the source of the issue:

“These factors include the lack of a religious authority that ordains marriage and family, the country’s precarious earthquake-prone ecology that engenders feelings of futility, and the high cost of living and raising children.”

Reading this, my heart is broken. The “expert” in the field of love and relationships in Japan is the dominatrix (whose name means love) and she’s given the best advice she knows how to give to a lost and confused people.

She’s never known better.

Let’s pray for the people of Japan! Let’s pray that the Lord would send more to share His love, kindness, mercy and truth to Japan. That frustrated fathers would find meaning in their marriages. That lonely mothers would find satisfaction in loving and caring for their husbands and children. That children would be seen rightly by both society and their parents. That dating and courtship would be a holy, purposeful, romantic, fun, growing venture in the lives of men and women who seek to honor God with their lives.

Lord, please move in Japan.