“How can I lift this intense burden I feel to prove my life means something?” This was one of the best questions I’ve ever been asked by my friend, Shuji, while eating burgers on a rainy evening in Sapporo, Japan. Sapporo is on the northernmost island of Japan called Hokkaido. In the middle of Sapporo is Hokkaido University, one of Japan’s most prestigious Universities. Because our church meets in the middle of the city, we have become friends with many students from Hokkaido University, and Shuji is one of them.
Shuji wanted to hang out and really enjoys American culture, so we decided to do the most American thing we could think of: eat a good burger. While we were eating, we were discussing our goals for the future and dreams for our lives. Shuji told me about how he aspires to be a doctor and so he is preparing to enter medical school at Hokkaido University. Shuji shared that Hokkaido University has a special medical program that only the top 10 students get accepted into. It’s very competitive. After telling me this, I remember him opening his phone, logging into his school portal and showing me his class rank. Out of about 1,000 other students, Shuji was ranked 4th.
I was shocked to see his rank was so high and applauded him for the hard work that must have gone into being 4th in the entire school! I remember saying, “You must be proud of being such a high rank.” And he told me that instead of pride the feeling he most feels is fear. He told me he obsessively checks his phone daily to make sure his rank hasn’t fallen. He said he is constantly afraid of making a mistake or not scoring high enough on a test and his class rank falling. He told me that he feels like if he isn’t the best at something, then his life doesn’t really mean anything. That’s when he asked me, “How can I lift this intense burden I feel to prove my life means something?”
This was such a great question because I believe that question lies at the heart of every human being on the planet. Some people feel an intense pressure to get a well-respected job, while others overwork themselves because they find their identity and worth through what they do. Some people run around trying to get people to like them, while others try to fulfill themselves through romantic partners. I think at some level we all feel a pressure to do something to prove that our lives, and we ourselves, matter. Lots of people in Sapporo feel this enormous burden, but they don’t say anything – they just keep pushing and working harder. Most people just think this is a normal part of life that our value is determined by how much we can produce.
That night in the hamburger shop in Sapporo, I got to tell my friend Shuji the good news that we have the love and approval that we long for without having to produce anything. I explained to him that as a Christian, I have been adopted by God and so primarily I find my identity, not in what I produce, but in what God says about me. Because Jesus died on the cross for my sins, he has completely approved of me. So instead of trying to earn my sense of worth from getting other people’s approval, I get to rest in the truth of the gospel that God approves of me through my faith. 1 John 3:1 says
“See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are!”
I can’t think of a more practical doctrine for our everyday lives than our adoption. From our relationships with others to our relationship to our work, our adoption affects our whole lives. The gospel frees us from using other people and our work to affirm ourselves, but instead allows us to wholly serve others with love as those already loved by God. Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is this: In a world full of people desperately fighting tooth and nail to prove their worth, how can we shine as people who are resting in the gospel? How can we live with our eyes fixed not on ourselves, but on others and their needs?
Only when we find our identity and worth in Christ are we truly free to stop making life about ourselves and begin to love others wholeheartedly. The gospel frees us from the need to prove ourselves so that we can give ourselves fully to others.
I wish I could say that I always perfectly prioritize God’s opinion of me over other people’s opinions, but that’s not true. I wish I could say that I always rest in God’s approval rather than striving to prove myself through my work, but that’s not true. One of the most important things I have learned while living in Japan is that I need to be reminded of the gospel every single day.
Have you forgotten about your adoption? How are you doing resting in the truth of the gospel?
Tanner & Delaney Salva
The Salvas are church planters working with Mustard Seed Network to plant churches in urban Japan. Japan is one of the most unreached countries in the world, and 99% of the people do not know Jesus. The Salvas live in the city of Sapporo and are in the early stages of planting a church in the city.
