lenten journey, day 18 — a prayer for the yao people

I’m not exactly sure why the Yao people of Southeast Asia piqued my interest. But I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that they believe they are descended from a dragon-dog named Pan Hu and, as such, were declared by the emperor in 3000 B.C. to be a whole new type of human being.

Either that, or that fact that the women wear outrageously fluffy red collars on their jackets…

Savvy in the ways of business and culturally sophisticated, the Yao are a proud and successful people. By all accounts, they are friendly and open and very hospitable. Their keen eye for beauty is evidenced by the elaborately embroidered trousers and jackets they create. Yet, like so many unreached people groups, many Yao are bound by tradition—and fear—to the appeasement of a complex spirit world believed to be in control of all aspects of life. They are also financially burdened by very expensive Taoist rituals, including lavish marriage ceremonies that can only take place if good omens permit. Their special status as children of the dragon-dog means that small celebrations are simply out of the question!

Actually, the Yao people’s origin myth is one I can completely relate to. No, I don’t have any dragon-dogs in my ancestry. And no, the emperor has not declared me a revolutionary genetic breakthrough. But, like the Yao, I believe I am a new creation…a whole new kind of person. Where we part ways, however, is in the definition of “new creation.”

You see, I have been completely renovated from the inside out by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Through his saving work on the cross, my despair has turned to hope. Seeking has given way to belonging. Fear has been conquered by joy. And in him, there is no longer any condemnation. I am an adopted daughter of the King…an all new person in him.

Now that’s something worthy of a lavish celebration!

Merciful Father-of-All, thank you that your children have so many different ways of expressing the creative nature you placed within us. I can imagine the pleasure you must take in the Yao people’s beautiful embroidery skills, their whimsical hats and fluffy, red collars. But I can also imagine the longing you must have for their hearts. Lord, would you raise up strong Yao Christian leaders who will reach out to their neighbors with the good news of Jesus? Would you place courage in their hearts so that they would no longer be bound by fear of the spirit world? Lord, embolden me to tell others my own “origin story”—the story of how I became a new creation in Christ. Yes, and amen.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17

“I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” — Isaiah 43:6-7