Source: OMF International, February 2018
The conversation was fine to begin with. They were okay that I am a Christian, that I tell Bible stories, and help people to follow Jesus. But when it came to allegiance to the local shrine—whether I would visit it to pray at New Year and help to carry it around the neighborhood—things got tense.
I told them that praying for blessing and protection is good and that I do it every day by praying to the God who made everything and wants to bless us. I shared that I’m happy to go with them to be part of the group but that I will only pray to the Creator God. I explained, “I won’t be able to join in carrying the shrine and worshipping the local god. I believe the Creator God is the source of all blessings and the place to search for safety.”
Nobody blinked an eye, but an awkward, dead silence seemed to continue forever and everybody stared at the floor. We waited for “Daddy” to speak. In a soft voice, he explained, “This is a problem. These Christians always disturb the harmony… their God is not as good as Japanese gods, who aren’t so envious and so stubborn.” He continued, “You live here now. You need to be willing to give your best to be part of the community. If you do that, it might work somehow.”
» Read full story with prayer points, and consider: What would you say? What would you do?