Beyond Eastward Borders

Asian People-Gifts Beyond Geographic Locations

People Gifts – Part 2

Each time I walk into my favorite hibachi restaurant, I make the assumption that the people working there and serving are indeed Japanese. While this may be true, there’s a possibility it is not. Are those guys putting on the show from the part of Asia we know as Japan? Then there is our friend, Daniel, at my wife’s and daughter’s nail salon who is Chinese, most assume he is of a different descent. Here’s the point, assuming each of these people are from the places we assume, would I know that if I bumped into them at the airport? Would I ever be inclined to hold a conversation with them, Daniel withstanding. The answer, apologetically, is more than likely no. What a shame. The one thing I might be able to conclude is that they all are of Asian descent. We live in the technology age with all information at our fingertips, but our view of people remains warped. What I’m about to share with you regarding people-gifts should give you more reason, why you might just want to strike up a conversation with someone of a different descent.

Let’s extend the concept of “beyond borders” from locations to the people who exist in those locations. We will begin with the “eastward” direction. As we know, this eastward group of people are those represented in Asia Proper and West Asia. Before I continue, I apologize for my lack of appropriate wording, descriptors, and terminology. It is not our intent to offend anyone nor bring negative light on any of God’s people groups. With that said, when one hears Asian, a person’s default thinking is of those who live in China and Japan. While this is the case, it’s not that simple to classify people who live in these areas in this way. Before we go there, allow me to share with you something very unique about these areas that include China and Japan that we refer to as “eastward.”

Innovation and Goods Produced
If we were to take a look at the vast region of China and the people God has placed there, we would find something that doesn’t exist in any other place or better stated, found in any other group of people on Earth. “Made in China.” I am certain you’ve heard or seen this phrase no matter where on earth you exist. Have you ever given thought to why almost all goods produced are done so in China? In fact, it’s this “eastward” people group who are gifted in producing and making goods supplied to the whole earth. What is more astonishing is the same is also said of Vietnam, which too represents Asia, but more importantly this same eastward people group. This group of people have a gift for producing goods like no other. This eastward group, that we simply identify as China and surrounding areas, is responsible for blessing the Earth with goods that have contributed to human civilization in major ways.

Technology and Tradition
When speaking of Asia, no one can ignore Japan or the Japanese people. This segment of people also belong to the “eastward” group which adds to the unique gift of these people that God created. As you know, Japan is known for producing technology. One of the biggest gifts is that of video games and technology for entertainment. This eastward group has not only brought to Earth the ability to produce goods, but also aided in the planet’s most popular technological advancements. This people-group beyond what it produces and has created brings to the world its unique architecture, arts & crafts, and traditions. There is no other place nor group on Earth like this eastward group.

Blended Eastward Borders
Now I would like to offer a missing dynamic to this eastward group and why I find it inappropriate to segment people by locations like China, Vietnam, and Japan. Because the eastward migrants have invisible borders with the northward section and the southward section, we have to consider what happens at its boundaries that have gone unsaid. Have you ever heard of “Asian-Europeans” or “Asian-Africans?” What I have found mysterious is that most people have not. In my research, these terms aren’t used in this way. In fact, not to be too negative, most of the research is built as if people are some flavor or variety of European and not the other way around. Keep in mind that this content is not designed to be racial, but to reveal the gifts found in God’s creations. I’ve discovered that each people-group has a dominant descent that at its borders have been blended by the descent of its bordering people-groups. Therefore, in the eastward people-group you have a notable diversity within the group.

Since I started with the eastward people group which represents Asia, I asked this question, are there any Asian-Europeans? Since the north border of the eastward group touches the south border of the northward group (Europe), that is what I would expect to find.

• Asian-Europeans
  In asking this question changed the dynamics for my search and resulted in this finding. There is an Asian population who have some degree of European descent. This finding was the additional proof I needed to validate this idea of people-groups and their gifts. Asian-Europeans exist in the following, but not limited to these, areas: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Imagine that. These places are inhabited by people who are part Asian and partially European in nature.
• Asian-Africans
  If asking the question about the north border of the eastward group produced the above findings, what would asking the same question about the south border provide us? Could there possibly be Asian-Africans? While this was hard for me to fathom, I was on to something. Sure enough, there’s this group of people who exist in, but not limited to, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, who are what I call Asian-African. Talk about expanding our thinking of people.

This finding is true for the other borders and tells me that we (the human race) have missed out on something great. When these people-groups with their gifts come together it can mean only one thing, better gifts. The scripture says that “iron sharpens iron.” In other words, your gift sharpens my gift. Your ability produces more of my ability. Together, we become better. When people work together, bringing their strengths together, what we get is a world worth living in. Knowing that this exists will help you, me and everyone else to see the very thing that God sees in people, their gifts.

Question: what gifts can you see in the groups of people you notice around you that are unique to that group?

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