FOREVER FAITHFUL

In November 2013, my wife and I visited the bronze statue of Hachikō in front of the Shibuya train station in Tokyo, Japan.

The station and its statue brought to life touching scenes from the film Hachi: A Dog’s Tale.22 The story that inspired the film began in the 1920s, when Hidesburō Ueno, a professor of agriculture at the University of Tokyo, took the dog Hachikō as a pet. From then on, Hachikō would run to the nearby Shibuya Station, happily greeting his owner when he returned from work. The daily routine continued until May 1925, when Professor Ueno suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died.

For more than nine years after Ueno’s death, Hachikō continued to come to the station each day at the precise time when his master should have arrived.

Some people even mistreated him, but he never gave up.

On March 8, 1935, Hachikō passed away, leaving a tender example of unconditional faithfulness. At that historical tourist site, several thoughts crossed my mind: Why did the dog remain so committed to his deceased owner for the rest of his life? Why do we human beings so easily break our marriage vows, our bonds of friendship, and even our personal relationship with God? Why do we in church freely sing hymns of full commitment to God while our actions and lifestyle do not back up our profession? As sinful human beings, we tend to care more about ourselves and our own concerns than about others and their feelings. The story of Hachikō is an eloquent example of self-denial, faithfulness, and commitment to others. It should inspire us to remain faithful to our spouse, our family, and our friends and, above all, to “make Christ first and last and best in everything.” How different might our world be if we were less self-centered, more thoughtful, and more faithful! Adam Clarke declared, “If you be faithful, you will have that honor that comes from God: His Spirit will say in your hearts, ‘Well done, good and faithful servants.’” And even more, at the last day, the Lord Himself will say to you, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).