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Maybe growing up we were told to be a certain way, act a certain way. But is that how God made us to be? もしかしたら、私たちは成長する中で「こうあるべき」「こう振る舞うべき」と言われてきたかもしれない。 でも、それは本当に神様が望んだ姿なのかな？
Hi! This is Isis, from Canada, currently living in Sapporo Hokkaido Japan. Welcome to another episode of Bless Your Mind!
When I first came to Japan, I was an ALT at a kindergarten. One day, the kids had an art project to draw their parents. One child wanted to draw their mom with pink hair and purple eyes. But the teachers gently corrected them: “Your mom’s hair and eyes are black, right?” That moment stuck with me. その瞬間がずっと心に残っている。
I was an art major in university, and I love drawing realistic portraits. But it made me wonder—shouldn’t kids be free to express themselves through art? Why do we sometimes feel pressured to fit into a certain standard, even when it comes to creativity?
でも、子どもたちは自由にアートで自己表現できるべきじゃない？ どうして創造性ですら、ある基準に合わせなきゃいけないって感じることがあるんだろう？
Funny Story:
This reminds me of a funny story—laugh with me, okay? My husband is German but was born and raised in Japan. He speaks perfect Japanese and English, but with his blond hair and blue eyes, he doesn’t exactly look Japanese.
When he moved to Hokkaido, he looked for a part-time job. Since he had worked at McDonald’s before, he figured, “I’ll just work there again until I find a more permanent solution.” So he walks into a McDonald’s here in Sapporo, asks about hiring, and the staff tells him… “Uh… you’d have to dye your hair black first.” 😂
Of course, that was over 10 years ago. Japan has changed a lot, and now you see foreigners with all hair colors working in different fields. But it shows how much pressure there used to be to “blend in” here in Japan. There are a lot of rules in the service industry and in different companies, it’s actually an interesting topic in itself..
それだけ「周りに合わせよう」ことへのプレッシャーが強かったってことだよね。
Even in private schools today in Japan, many students still aren’t allowed to dye their hair. 今でも、日本の私立学校では髪を染めることを禁止されているところが多いんだ。
My High School in Canada
I also went to a private high school, but in Canada (I’m from Toronto, Ontario, Canada). We wore uniforms, which is rare there! But my classmates? Green hair, red hair… My brother even tried to give himself Dragon Ball Z hair—
うちのアニキなんて、ドラゴンボールのキャラみたいな髪型にしようとしたんだよ—
George! He bleached it, then dyed it bright orange! 😂
So, what’s the balance? Where’s the line between self-expression and fitting in?
じゃあ、バランスってどこにあるんだろう？ 自己表現と周りに合わせることの境界線ってある？
Let’s look at the Bigger Picture here: (Loving the Body God Gave You!)
もっと大きな視点で考えてみよう。（神様が与えてくれた体を大切にすること~）
It’s not just about hair color. What about tattoos? Piercings? Cosmetic surgery? Some people love makeup, others don’t wear any. And that’s okay! The most important thing is loving the body God gave you. Not hating it. Not hurting it.
一番大切なのは、神様が与えてくれた体を愛すること。憎んだり、傷つけたりすることじゃない。
There’s a verse in the Bible that says:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
コリント人への手紙第一 6:19）「あなたがたのからだは、あなたがたのうちにおられる神から受けた聖霊さまが生きる所なんですよ、大切です」
That doesn’t mean we can’t be creative with our appearance! だからといって、見た目で自己表現しちゃいけないってわけじゃない！
But it does mean we should appreciate ourselves the way we are. でも、自分自身をそのまま受け入れることも大切。
Instead of judging others—or feeling judged—let’s respect the creativity in each person and love ourselves as God’s creation.
人をジャッジするんじゃなくて、またジャッジされていると感じるんじゃなくて、それぞれの個性を尊重して、神様の創造物としての自分を愛そう。
So, what color is your hair? Or what color would it be if you could dye it right now?
🎵 The song for this week’s theme is “STAND OUT FIT IN” by ONE OK ROCK.
https://open.spotify.com/track/17EiIn0d2tftCjJrGOrbFj?si=8466d900db144c4f
ONE OK ROCK is one of my fav Japanese rock bands known for their emotional vocals & lyrics and mix of English and Japanese. This song “Stand Out Fit In“ perfectly fits this episode’s theme—it’s about the pressure to conform while struggling to stay true to yourself.
自分らしさを保ちながらも、周りに合わせるプレッシャーを感じること。
Check out these lyrics:
I know they don’t like me that much
Guess that I don’t dress how they want
I just want to be myself
I can’t be someone else
Try to color inside their lines
Try to live a life by design
I just wanna be myself
みんなが僕をあまり好きじゃないのは分かってる。
たぶん、求められる服装をきていないから。
ただ自分らしくいたいだけ。
誰かの真似はできない。
決められた枠の中で色を塗ろうとして、
デザインされた人生を生きようとして、
でも結局、自分らしくいたいだけ。
I think this is extremely encouraging for both Japanese and international listeners.
Maybe growing up we were told to be a certain way, act a certain way. But is that how God made us to be?
もしかしたら、私たちは成長する中で「こうあるべき」「こう振る舞うべき」と言われてきたかもしれない。 でも、それは本当に神様が望んだ姿なのかな？
Whether you stand out or fit in, what matters is embracing who you are and loving the way God made you. 🎶✨
目立つか、周りに溶け込むか、それより大切なのは「自分を受け入れ、神様が創ってくださった自分を愛すること。」🎶✨
So if you need an anthem to remind you that it’s okay to stand out or fit in—whatever feels right for you—give this song a listen! 🎶😊
目立ってもいいし、なじんでもいい。自分にとって心地よい道を選んでいいんだよ。そんな気持ちを思い出させてくれるこの曲、ぜひ聴いてみて！ 🎶😊
It’s funny actually, when I was in university, I never wore makeup, I just wore jeans and a t-shirt or a hoodie.
Then when I first came to Japan, I tried so hard to fit in. 必死に周りになじもうとした。
I was in a small town Shiranuka, in eastern Hokkaido. Love you Shiranuka!!! At that time, there was only one other caucasian living in my town. 町にいた白人は私を含めてたった二人。
So me trying to fit in with the crowd, the Japanese people all around me (I’m lucky, at least I have dark hair… but I still stood out like a sore thumb and people would take a double take at me or stare at me while I was shopping at the mall 1 hour away…). Anyways! I tried to buy the cute frilly Japanese dresses, I dyed my hair (don’t ask me why lol), I tried to curl it and give myself the cute Japanese bangs..… it did NOT work. I didn’t feel like me at all.
It took me a while to figure out what makes me feel comfortable and confident. 自分が心地よく、自信を持てるものを見つけるまでに時間がかかった。
How about this English phrase to learn today? “Be comfortable in your own skin.” 直訳すると、、、自分の肌に慣れて心地よくいること？w、、、つまり、自分らしく生きる ・自分に自信を持つ。
Embrace what makes you you. Love YOU! 自分らしさを大切にしよう。自分を愛して！
Because God loves you, and in God’s house, you’ll always fit in.
神様はあなたを愛している。そして神様のもとでは、あなたはいつでも受け入れられる。
You are unique, beautiful, handsome!
あなたは唯一無二の存在、美しい、カッコいい！
So love yourself, and Bless Your Mind.