March has come. In Japan, many people go to a higher school, get a job and start a new life. We often get afraid and worried when we depart from where we feel familiar and launch into a new field. Perhaps, you may already have got disappointed.
While I went to a language school in New Zealand, I felt the same way. Though I enjoyed a lot, I had difficulty communicating with people and got discouraged. Because Western people rarely sensed how I felt as Japanese did, I came not to talk much. But, there was one who always encouraged me. The one who helped me was my host mother.
She treated me as one of her own family members. When I worried about conversation and lost confidence, she came to my room and encouraged me, saying, “You speak English very well. Be courageous.” When a gift from Japan arrived, she brought it to me and got rejoiced as I did. The day I left the country, she blessed my future and saw me off with her family. She still contacts me and looking forward to seeing me in the future.
However, people have their limitations. Is there a gentle person everywhere? Even if there is, he or she can’t be with you all the time.
Here I have a good news for you. According to the Bible, there is God who made you. He knows all your situations. And if you seek Him, He will give you what you need. If you look upon Him, He will be with you anytime. No matter how big problems you face, you can overcome them and go forward. This is what I experienced every day. And I felt the fact in different places I have lived in my life.
The Bible says, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) This means, “Since God is 100 percent on your side, be courageous and fear not.” Let me give you another word of God. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) How peaceful it is to have an unchanging foundation.May the blessings of God be upon you!
Youth Pastor Kenshiro Goto
