Korea! What were we thinking?: What a Trip!!!

A few weeks ago, we returned from a trip to Japan and China. First, we went to Japan. We landed at Kansai airport near Osaka. After a train ride into the city, we found our way to the subway and then the hotel. We spent four days in Japan and were able to see some amazing sites in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara. The view of Osaka Castle from the hotel was cool. Japan was very clean and the people were pretty nice. They really seemed like they were trying to stay at the forefront of fashion and beyond. It was also very expensive. McDonald's for the family was around $18.00 just for the simple stuff. We could tell the people seemed content and were not in such a rush.

After Japan, we flew back to Seoul and caught another plane about an hour later headed for Beijing. Beijing was very different than Japan. We first noticed this in the airport when we bought train tickets to the city. The young lady seemed frustrated that we were even bothering her to buy tickets. It was like we had offended her in some way and we just asked for four tickets to the main subway station. Beijing is very crowded with a population of possibly 30 million. While there we saw more amazing and historical sites like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The reception we received from the girl at the airport seemed to be the way it was in many parts of Beijing. It just seemed colder and like a lot of the people there; had nothing for which to live. They simply functioned.

On the last day, we decided to go check out a show and so we bought tickets at the hotel. The manager of the show picked us up at the hotel in his car. On the way we began to talk. We told him the places we had visited and one of those was Tiananmen Square. I told him I remembered seeing live coverage of the protests on the news and he said that he was part of those protests. He proceeded to tell us about how he was part of five protests against the government during that time. He and eleven others were sent out of the city for several weeks by their group leader because their pictures had been posted for arrest. He said when he returned he decided to forget protesting against the government because he knew it wasn't going to make any difference.

As Karen and I talked about the trip and the obvious differences between the countries we also realized some similarities. Japan is comfortable in its prosperity and way of life while China has accepted their way of life and seem only to exist. I was telling Karen that I'm sure the Chinese people have happy and exciting moments in life but feel shackled down deep inside.

Both of these ways of life are dangerous. To be content because of superficial things and to give up because of oppression leave you no better off tomorrow than you are today. In life and in Christ shouldn't we strive for something more than simply what this world has to offer, whether good or bad? Shouldn't we also not give up on life or Christ because we don't like the government and laws under which we live? Jesus, the disciples and the early church cared nothing for the things of this world and lived under a government which was at times hostile to Christians and the church. Look at how much they accomplished.

We should ask ourselves, "Am I content because I have enough stuff?" or "Have I given up on making a difference because I don't think I can make a difference." "Press toward the mark..."