Jul 2007
Burn-out/Exhaustion Plagues Japanese Men
“It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.”
--Hudson Taylor
Earlier this summer, our church held a men’s retreat several hours west of Tokyo in the Japanese Alps. It’s not the sort of retreat that Christians in North America are used to, with lots of activities, a popular speaker, and so on. Most of these men are far too exhausted from working 70-80 hour workweeks for anything intense.
Instead, there’s lots of down time, where the men can be alone with God outdoors and just hang out with each other. It’s sad, but for most, this will be one of the few times this year where they will have an extended time with the Lord.
As you can imagine, years of working long hours and time away from family takes it’s toll. Many Japanese men, inside and outside of the church, will struggle with burn-out and depression. Stories abound of men who simply burn out and take extended leaves of absence from their jobs in an effort to cope.
It’s heart-breaking to see how the burnout and exhaustion can cause men to lose sight of their purpose and calling in Christ. One of the men at the retreat—a leader in our church-- when asked about his calling replied:
“I don’t know. I’m too tired to think about it. I’ll figure it out when I retire in six years. I just want to survive until then. After that, I can think about how to serve God.”
I know many men like this, men trying to survive when God’s heart is for them to thrive! My desire is to come alongside and support the men of Japan, the many who are tired, who have lost hope and are stuck in a spiritual quagmire. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…”
Would you take some time this month to pray for the men of Japan? Pray for those who already know the Father, that God would touch their weary souls and bodies, refresh their spirits, and give them renewed vision to live out their calling in Christ.
Pray also for the many men who don’t yet know Christ. Pray that the Lord would stir up a spiritual hunger in them to know their Maker and the lover of their souls. Pray that the seed of the Gospel would fall on fertile hearts and they would be transformed by the life-changing power of Jesus..
Finally, please pray for me, (Sean) that God would provide more opportunities to come alongside and encourage these men whom God has called to be pillars for the church, their families and a nation.
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