Giving it all

Remains of the civil defense building where Miki Endo gave her life to save thousands












I saw this story recently on the Japanese TV channel NHK, and also on the Internet:

Miki Endo was a 25 year-old public worker who worked in the Crisis Management Dept. of the city of Minami Sanriku, one of the worst-hit cities in the Miyagi prefecture - of its 17,000 inhabitants, 10,000 perished and only 7,000 or so survived the tsunami.

Many of those 7,000 that survived escaped death because of Miki Endo’s broadcast. The newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reports that Miki Endo did not let go of her microphone, even during the very moment the black waves of the tsunami engulfed the city, so that every last villager could hear her warning call. One co-worker told Miki’s mother, that he saw Miki being swept away by the tsunami wave.
A 61 year-old man named Taeza Haga heard Miki Endo’s warning broadcast, and scrambled to his car, just his cellphone in hand. He barely made it to the higher regions of Minami Sanriku, where he could see entire buildings and houses being swallowed up by the tsunami. Mr. Haga noticed Miki Endo’s mother, standing anxiously by the list of survivors, and took hold of her hand, and told her -I could hear your daughter’s voice all the while I came up here.

There is nothing but a skeletal structure of red beams left of the building where Miki Endo made her last broadcast, a girl in her beautiful 20s. Although cut tragically short, she lived the most worthwhile life of them all, a beautiful sentinel.

As I continue to pray for the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant crisis victims of Japan, I continue to listen and watch for something positive. It’s beginning to appear now, in stories like this one about this wonderful young lady who put her love and passion for her people and responsibilities above her own interests. I would have liked to have met Miki, for she probably had a very positive outlook on life, since unselfish people usually do.

These traits are exemplary in nature and are strikingly similar to traits that our Lord Jesus Christ both displayed to us and instructed us to display. We are not called to live for ourselves and our interests above the interests and lives of others. This is counter-cultural in our society, and it was in the time of Jesus also. Many live their entire life in a receiving mode and sometimes don’t learn until the end that we are called (especially as Christians who should know this) to live our lives in giving mode. The argument arises- well, we will never get anything if we do this. The problem is not that we wont get anything, but that we wont get what we want. By giving, we receive a non-tanglible return at times. However, these non-tangibles are much more satisfying and fulfilling in the long run. The issue with tangible returns is that they fulfill only for short periods many times, and then we want more and more.

Remember Miki? She didn’t put herself into harms way, because she was out to receive anything. She gave up her life to save thousands. She gave all she had.

Jesus gave His life for millions. He said:

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. (John 15:13)

You and I, as followers of Christ, may never be called upon to physically give up our lives for others. However, we are called upon to give of ourselves in sacrificial service in different ways; with the ultimate purpose to lead others to Christ by doing so. In what way are you called today, to give of yourself to others?

Blessings!
George