|
My parents did not want my generation to experience
the suspicion or suffering they had known. They trained us to
be "good citizens." They taught us: "Blend in
... don't stick out ... don't make waves ... be a good American
... " A Japanese proverb says, "Deru kugi wa utareru"
— "The nail that sticks out will be pounded down."
Trying not to "stick out" helped some of us Japanese
Americans "blend in" with post-war American society
and the majority culture.
Mordecai, Esther's cousin and guardian, knew
the ways of the palace world and counseled her not to let King
Xerxes know that she was a Jew. She blended in with the culture
of the day, and her agreeable nature and attractiveness won
the king's heart. He loved Esther more than all others, and
the alien woman became queen.
Eventually, however, the day came for Esther
to stand up for her people. If she stood up she might save her
people from extermination. If she remained blended in, Haman
would launch his plan to exterminate all the Jews. Mordecai
reminded her: "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal
dignity for just such a time as this."
For Esther there was a time when "blending
in" was the right thing to do. But there came "just
such a time as this" when she had to clearly take a stand
for her people facing destruction.
During the 1950s when we Japanese American
children were being trained to "blend in," we were
not alone! Those were years when many baby-boom children were
taught to "blend in." Many Christian parents thought
that being a Christian meant being a good American. Retailers
and sports leagues closed down on Sunday mornings. The phrase
"under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
Today is "just such a time" when
followers of Christ must stand out. We who name Christ as Lord
are aliens dwelling in a hostile world of lesser kings and idols.
If you are an immigrant or an alien, then you have not had the
luxury of "blending in" your whole life; you already
have training in sticking out. You must keep on sticking out
for Christ. But if you have lived most of your life comfortably
blending in, then this alien status as a Christian may seem
difficult and strange. Take courage from the examples of our
immigrant sisters and brothers and from Esther, the alien who
used her status to take a bold stand and so save God's children
from destruction.
And take heart from these words of Jesus:
"If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before
it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would
love you as its own .... But I have chosen you out of the world
— therefore the world hates you .... In the world you face
persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!"
(John 15:18*19; 16:33).
Next month:
Ruth — who invited her?
|
