Enlightenment

Escaping from the Maze

One day, our Zion’s young adult members went to Busan Citizens’ Park together. The eco-friendly park with various themes had a lot of attractions. While taking a walk to the park, we spotted a fun place. It was a hedge maze. It had complicated routes in various directions with camellia trees standing as walls. There was no way that we, the young adult members full of curiosity, would miss the chance of trying it. We immediately went inside the hedge maze. We decided that whoever came out of the maze first would be the winner. After carefully looking at the map of the hedge maze, we started our race. At first, I followed the route without any hesitation, remembering the…

Ryu Mi-gyeong from Busan, Korea

I Thought It Would Be Okay

One day, I found a bottle of drinking yogurt in the refrigerator. I had bought a pack of yogurt while ago and thought I had finished the whole pack, but one was left hidden deep in the refrigerator. It had already expired, but I didn’t feel like throwing it away and wasting it. Yogurt is a fermented food anyway. So, I thought it would be okay. When I was about to drink it, my daughter walked into the kitchen. “Mom, we have yogurt? Can I have some, please?” “No. It’s already expired. You’re going to have a stomachache.” “Then why do you still have it? Throw it away.” “I . . . I was going to.” “Mom, don’t drink it.…

Jo Eun-jin from Changwon, Korea

Things I compelled to do

“For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.” 1 Co 9:16–17 Since my childhood, I attended Zion with my parents. As I entered middle school, I began to study the Bible seriously. The words of the Bible, such as the parable of the fig tree and the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, were amazing and fascinating. I shared what I learned with my friends. One by one, the number of fruits increased. Zion members said to me, “Brother, you have a good faith.”…

Lee Jae-wook from Sacheon, Korea

Confidence

Recently, I had an interesting experience. It was about a dress sold in a foreign country. What was amazing is that people had different opinions about the color of the dress. There was an online debate on whether the stripes of the dress were white and gold or blue and black. When I looked at the dress on the screen, I wondered why there was even a debate about that, because the dress looked white and gold to me right away. I showed it to my husband. I had no doubt that he would see it as white and gold as I did, but his answer was different. “It’s blue and black.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I double-checked it,…

Shin Mi-ae from Seoul, Korea

Walking Together

Whenever I encounter an issue that is too difficult to solve alone on my journey of faith, there is a verse that I always keep in mind. “Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecc 4:11–12 As the Bible says, “One may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.” When I look around, I can see helpful brothers and sisters whom I am grateful for. They are precious companions whom God granted me to keep my faith without getting weary, and they are like Mother’s hand who lifts me up when I am…

Baek Seung-hye from Yongin, Korea

We Are the Happy Ones

The more I read this verse, the happier I become. “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.” Dt 33:29 I am very happy that God saved me and is my shield to help me. There may be times when I am tired and exhausted while living the life of faith, but I should strengthen myself, thinking of Heavenly Father and Mother who are always on my side to help me. Since I was called to be the happiest person in the world, I will boldly preach the gospel…

Kim Hye-in from Puebla, Mexico

Work Done by God’s Power

Recently, I was worried about participating in the short-term mission to Congo. It’s because I never used French spoken by the Congolese people. Even though I am not fluent in the language, God gave me courage and strength. “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” Zec 4:6 Thanks to these words that I engraved on my mind throughout the mission, I was able to bear good fruit. Truly, a man’s ability does not matter as long as everything is done by the Holy Spirit of God. I no longer depend on my weak abilities. I only pray earnestly for…

Tapiwa Toruvanda from Harare, Zimbabwe

Serving With the Strength God Provides

“If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Pe 4:11 Thanks to God’s grace, I’ve received much blessing by serving in Zion. However, I sometimes felt a little burdened with the duties. One day, I asked myself a question after reading this verse. ‘Did I serve in Zion with the strength God provides?’ If I did with the strength God provides, I would not feel tired but rather be joyful. How much more thanks I…

Kang Seon-yeong from Jinju, Korea

Revering God the Mother

Since receiving the truth, I have often seen and heard Heavenly Mother through church meetings. I always took this blessing for granted. However, a sermon I heard at the worship service gave me a sudden realization about what a great blessing it was. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Rev 21:2 The New Jerusalem, who came down from heaven, is Heavenly Mother. God the Mother, who is almighty, has come down to this earth to be with Her children. Hearing Heavenly Mother’s voice directly and seeing Her, our holy Mother, with our own eyes! How can this be regarded as a small…

Mi-ju Seo from Incheon, Korea

Father’s Hometown

“When we get a chance, I want to go visit my hometown with you all.” My father used to say this all the time. Whenever he said that, my sister and I would always answer indifferently, “Okay. Let’s go some day.” It took a long time for “that some day” to come. After getting married, I visited my father regularly, but I couldn’t afford to take him to his hometown. My father’s physical disability also played a part. As each year went by, he missed his hometown more and more. “I need to go there before I die. I miss my sister . . .” My father’s sad eyes seemed to be telling me that I shouldn’t delay any longer.…

Seo Jin-hee from Busan, Korea

God Is Patient With Us, Wanting Everyone to Be Saved

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Pe 3:9 This is a scripture that made me cry during the second study after receiving the truth. The sister who was teaching me the Bible thought I was crying because I got scared of disasters, and she tried to comfort me, but that’s not why I was crying. Tears welled up in my eyes, because I felt so thankful to realize that God had been patiently waiting for me in order to save me. God’s patient love, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance! I,…

Kim Ok-gyeong from Uijeongbu, Korea

Whether They Listen or Fail to Listen

I flew to Europe to fulfill God’s word to preach the gospel to the whole world. Whenever I ask people here, “Have you heard of God the Mother?” many of them walk away, waving their hands as if they don’t care. I sometimes feel discouraged, but I have a source of energy that wells up. “Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” Eze 3:11 Every single word in the Bible is fulfilled without fail. It is the same with preaching the news of salvation to all the peoples of the world. That’s why I boldly preach Heavenly Mother today,…

Jeong Hye-in from Guri, Korea

Demonstration of God’s Love

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Ro 5:8 No one would dare to die for someone else. It’s even harder to give up one’s life for a sinner. However, there is One who demonstrated His sure love for us by being crucified in our stead while we were still unforgivable sinners. He is our Heavenly Father. Is there a greater demonstration of love than this? Now, we want to demonstrate our sure love to our Heavenly Father who loved us even to the point of death, by completely changing under His grace.

Lee Eun-suk from Saket, New Delhi, DL, India

The Angelic World, Overflowing With Delight Day After Day

“Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.” Pr 8:30 Proverbs 8 shows us that Solomon existed in the angelic world even before God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them in the beginning. We can also learn that it is a place full of delight and joy day after day. No matter how much delight and joy we experience on this earth, it fades quickly, often followed by hardships and sorrows. Perhaps the reason the heavenly world is eternally delightful is because new joys are continuously created. Similarly, our ability to rejoice always may stem from the constant creation of new joy. While…

Lee Sun-ju from Gwangju, Korea

Father’s Shoes

It was when I visited my parents for my mother’s birthday after a long time. On the way to the market to buy my mother a birthday gift, I met my father who was returning home. Then I noticed his shoes were worn-out tennis shoes, tied so tightly that no air could go through. “Father! Why do you wear tennis shoes on this hot day? Don’t you have sandals?” He just smiled and entered the house without saying anything. I bought a pair of shoes for my mother in the market. However, on the way out of the store, my father’s worn-out shoes came across my mind. I went inside the store again and picked a pair of sandals for…

Jeon Eun-ok from Seongnam, Korea

Son Who Looks Just Like Dad

“Your son resembles you a lot.” When my dad hears someone say that, he smiles from ear to ear. Sometimes I wonder if it is such a joyful thing to him that he smiles so big. In fact, when I was a child, I heard so many times that I was a carbon copy of my mom, and I just thought that I resembled her. Then one day, someone said to my dad that I resembled him. He bragged about it to my mom as soon as he came home. Since then, I started to hear more often that I resembled my dad, and I was often asked, “You look like him. Is he your dad?” My dad was pleased…

Kim Seung-hyeok from Madrid, Spain

Mother’s Love

Recently, I visited my mother in my hometown. She was overjoyed to see me, and through her facial expression I felt her love beyond words. When I was about to leave after I spent some time chatting with her, my mother turned her head and wiped her tears. In my childhood, I never knew what she felt in her heart. I used to walk under streetlights with resentment toward my mother who always arrived home late at night because of her work. However, I came to realize the love of my mother through my wife. When I come home from work, my wife warmly welcomes me and my sons run into my arms with bright smiles. While I rest my…

Kim Guk-hwa from Seoul, Korea

God’s Daily Gifts

“God always gives us a new day and new strength. What if God did not give us a new day and new strength? Just thinking about it makes me so thankful to God. If God didn’t, I would be struggling with accumulated fatigue.” Listening to a sister who was busy living a life of faith, working in the office, and taking care of her household, I was thankful and sorry at the same time. It’s because I took the time given to me every day and the power of the Holy Spirit for granted. I will receive God’s daily gifts with thankfulness and put my time and passion into what pleases God.

Han Min-ji from Montevideo, Uruguay

Practice

In our Zion, we have a cute and lovely child who has just turned one. It seems like it was only yesterday that he was wriggling in his mom’s arms, but he soon learned to hold his head up and sit up on his own, and now he even pulls himself up to stand and walk. He looks so cute when he struggles to balance but soon falls that I cannot take my eyes off him. As he doesn’t have enough strength in his legs yet, he often falls on his bottom. But he does not stop trying to walk. Although there is a soft mat on the floor, it must be hurting when he falls, but he smiles as…

Goh Su-jeong from Jeonju, Korea

That’s Something Everyone Can Do

At the start of the autumn feast, I set a goal to preach the Gospel to as many people as possible, being united with the members in my church. As the head of a household, I felt it would be difficult to make time to preach. However, I wanted to be of help to Zion even a little bit, and I went to Zion after work. I went out to preach the Gospel with some members, but I couldn’t open my mouth. For a few days, I just stood beside the members when they were preaching. As I diligently participated in preaching while cheering myself up, I came to have courage to tell God’s word to people. At that moment,…

Jang Seong-min from Seongnam, Korea