He's Coming

I think it’s appropriate this Sunday after Easter to talk about some nuances in different languages.  Perhaps you who are reading this have some other ones to share.  

Jesus died on the Cross. Every year we remember that.  We also know and celebrated last week that He rose from the dead and calls all men to Himself, even as we read in Scripture.

Now go with me back to Japan where my children were raised and obviously, (since I have the patience of a gnat) were not homeschooled but sent out every day to do their best in Japanese preschool and elementary schools.

You know the drill. You take them, you hope they have a great day and aren’t too embarrassed by having a “gaijin” (foreigner) for a mother. My children had specific things I was NOT to include in their lunchboxes, such as placing a red umeboshi (pickled plum) in the centre of their white rice so it looks like a Japanese flag. When the other kids’ mothers did that, it was so meaningful and beautiful, but when I tried it, a scene from  “Nailed It” came to mind. I was even less talented at making “onigiri” (the equivalent of a sandwich but made out of rice).  Not a good scene. 

The other mothers were kind, suggesting to me that Japanese hands were shaped differently so naturally I was incapable of making a perfect triangular-shaped onigiri the way they did so effortlessly. I’m still trying to figure out if they were being sarcastic or not. 

But all that aside, it was a level playing field when I went to the school to pick them up. The Japanese even have a special word for it: “Mukae ni kuru”. All the children would be outside playing, and at some point they would spot their mother. Oh! The unbridled joy on their faces as they dropped whatever they were doing and ran into the arms of the One who truly loved them.

Now to be clear: my kids enjoyed Japanese school. Even as adults, they tell me that some of their best memories of Japan revolve around the friends, teachers and experiences from those days. They never once suggested that I was an evil mother for taking them to the classroom and leaving them there.

But to take them in my arms and enjoy those few moments of absolute bliss at the end of the day was like nothing else you can imagine.

Now (wait for it) let’s look at John 14:3. 

Actually, the whole 14th chapter of John is one of my favourite places in the Bible. Jesus starts out by calming my fears, telling me to not let my heart be troubled; believe in God, believe in Him.

He captivates my imagination with a taste of those “mansions”, one of which has my name on it. Then in verse 3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

You guessed it; the Japanese Bible uses the same expression we used for picking up a child from school: “Mukai ni kuru”.

Now I’m not sure we can fully appreciate this statement emotionally, unless we’ve seen a child run to Mother at pick up time.

The day they’ve had, even if pleasurable, is nothing like the ‘relief’ of it being over.  And there, as Mom is kneeling with open arms, they know that their troubles are over for a little while. (Not to mention that Mom is happy to have them back again).

Can you imagine with me, that feeling that will come to us when our Savior bends down and welcomes us into his arms.

Until then, make the most of these days!

Marsha