Sometimes teaching in Korea absolutely breaks my heart. Today, all within the span of a single day, I proofread a student's essay on why plastic surgery gives you a better, more fulfilling, happier life; I got into an argument who was trying to convince me that no Koreans are beautiful, only westerners, while I was trying to convince her that that wasn't true; and I had a co-teacher vent to me about how her mother keeps ragging her to go on a diet and lose weight so that she can be beautiful.
The daily interactions I have with Koreans of all ages and backgrounds, the astonishingly high rate of plastic surgery, and the depressingly large number of suicides every year, just prove even more than something is very wrong here. Perhaps the issues are magnified because I'm an outsider - I'm sure that my culture has it's own fair share of issues, as well. But I just can't help bit think how different things would be if these people knew the God of the universe.
If they knew Him, if they knew how much they loved them, if they knew how beautiful they were in His eyes, I can't help but think that things would be different here. They would not feel a need for surgery to be beautiful. They would not evaluate their standards of beauty based on the appearance of other races. They would not kill themselves if they failed.
This world is hurting so desperately. It has forgotten the Lord its God. That's the bad news - and there's no doubt that it's tragic news. But there's good news, as well. The good news is that people who have forgotten God always have the capacity to remember Him. I've seen enough people get saved whom I would have sworn would never become Christians, to know that as long as you're breathing, it's never too late for God to touch your heart.
I pray that people, especially the people of Korea, the dear people that I live and work with every day, will remember the Lord their God. That they would return to Him, and that they would no longer find their worth in what the world tells them, but rather what God tells them. I pray the same for you.
The daily interactions I have with Koreans of all ages and backgrounds, the astonishingly high rate of plastic surgery, and the depressingly large number of suicides every year, just prove even more than something is very wrong here. Perhaps the issues are magnified because I'm an outsider - I'm sure that my culture has it's own fair share of issues, as well. But I just can't help bit think how different things would be if these people knew the God of the universe.
If they knew Him, if they knew how much they loved them, if they knew how beautiful they were in His eyes, I can't help but think that things would be different here. They would not feel a need for surgery to be beautiful. They would not evaluate their standards of beauty based on the appearance of other races. They would not kill themselves if they failed.
This world is hurting so desperately. It has forgotten the Lord its God. That's the bad news - and there's no doubt that it's tragic news. But there's good news, as well. The good news is that people who have forgotten God always have the capacity to remember Him. I've seen enough people get saved whom I would have sworn would never become Christians, to know that as long as you're breathing, it's never too late for God to touch your heart.
I pray that people, especially the people of Korea, the dear people that I live and work with every day, will remember the Lord their God. That they would return to Him, and that they would no longer find their worth in what the world tells them, but rather what God tells them. I pray the same for you.
Jeremiah 3:21-22
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,
the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten the LORD their God.
the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten the LORD their God.
22 “Return, faithless people;
I will cure you of backsliding.”
I will cure you of backsliding.”
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the LORD our God.
for you are the LORD our God.
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