A look back at Asia

I can’t believe our time in Asia is over. Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar were the countries I was most looking forward to on this route and they did not disappoint. They each ended up being wildly different than my expectations, but yielded so much growth.

A huge part of Asia that gave me a different perspective is the region’s main religion – Buddhism. The more I got to know people and ask them about their beliefs, the more I understood the culture of Asia.

Asia is a country filled with the most hospitable and kind and gracious people I’ve ever met. Near strangers will pay for your food, give you their clothes, or offer to take you anywhere in their city. It blew my mind how each month I met people who would go above and beyond what I expected.

However, my month in Myanmar changed things. God shifted my perspective from the gifts and kind gestures to the motives of the people giving them.

Buddhists believe that when they die, they are reincarnated and given a new life. Where and what you will be in your new life depend on how “good” you were in your past life. Be cruel and selfish all your life and you’ll become a bug. But be kind and nice and pray to Buddha, and you could be wealthy and have high positions in society. They earn their way into a better life.

I made a friend in Myanmar who wouldn’t let me pay for ANYTHING. The one time I basically pushed her away and quickly paid myself before she could, she said “What? Do you not like when I pay for you?” And she said it as if it were rude of me to not let her pay… While we were hanging out, I told her about Jesus and my experience having a relationship with Him. She had been to church once and mentioned the analogy of God extending His hand down to us, and all we have to do is reach out and grab it. The one question she asked me was, “Why does God extend His hand to us?”

I explained the best I could that God just loves us, and it’s a love that’s so far beyond our understanding. I tried to explain how imperfect human-love is and how we love based on conditions. Whereas God loves unconditionally.

I don’t think she quite grasped what I was talking about, but I saw that it was challenging her thoughts. But this very question helped me see why she was so insistent on paying for me and being so kind to me – she lived in a reality that told her she had to do good things to be a good person. To receive, she had to give, she had to perform.

The craziest part about this is even Christians fall into this belief and it’s the opposite of what the gospel actually is!! The whole Bible points to the fact that humans can’t do ANYTHING. For every time we get it right, we mess up a hundred times. If our “new life” was based on how hospitable or kind or charitable we are in this life…well we are all in trouble.

But thankfully, that’s not the reality we have to live in. I get to live in the freedom of my utter weakness. I know I can’t earn my way into heaven or righteousness. And I am so thankful, because that sounds exhausting. I get to live in freedom and security knowing that God is extending His hand down to me (and He can do that because Jesus died on the cross), and all I have to do is reach out and grab it.

But woooow, culture tells us otherwise. This belief that you have to do good and be good to receive good in so engrained into our society and culture and we don’t know how deep it runs. Think back to kindergarten. My teacher had all of our names on clothespins, and if you were good you stayed on the green, happy face, but if you acted up you got moved to the yellow, sad face, or even worse the red, angry face. We are told from Day 1 that our actions will decide whether we are good or bad. But the gospel is the complete opposite. You get to be good because Jesus was good.

But holy cow, how often do I forget? ALL THE TIME. I always have to remind myself that I already have all the love, all the grace, and complete salvation in God. “It is finished.” 

So I can take a breath and live from love, not for love. I can live from grace, not for grace. 

Love y’all,

Em 

 Thank you for reading my blog! It means so much to me.

I want to invite you to make my journey, your journey. Here are three simple ways:

1. The most important, PRAY. Community. Intimacy. Mission.

2. Subscribe. (If you want to subscribe to my blog and stay up to date on what God is doing in my life, click the orange “Subscribe for Updates”)

3. Share! (If you liked my blog in any way please share with friends and family! Feel free to mention any questions or comments below!)