Enlightenment

Children like Isaac

Just as people say a day without laughter is a day wasted, laughing is the best medicine. Laughing is contagious. If you laugh, many good things happen. However, people don’t laugh very well. Perhaps, there may be nothing to laugh in this competitive modern society where materialism, individualism, and selfishness remain rife. Probably, the time we laugh most in our lifetime must be when we were babies where we had less of those. Sure enough, some sources say babies laugh as instinctive behavior to protect themselves from their newborn days. From about eight weeks after birth, they start smiling by looking at other people’s faces; and at around 52 weeks, they build up their social interactions and laughter is at…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Daejeon, South Korea

Mom’s Half Memory

I have an unforgettable memory. One night when I was in elementary school, I had sharp pain in my lower abdomen. I just thought it was due to indigestion, but my mom noticed that something was wrong with me, and she took me to the emergency room. As she had expected, the result was not good. They said my appendix had become so swollen that it was on the verge of rupture, which could lead to peritonitis if I arrived a few days later. I changed into a patient gown and lay down on the operating table. Everything happened so suddenly. After the surgery, I started groaning as the anesthetic wore off. My groan turned into a scream. The doctor…

Park Su-bin from Seoul, South Korea

A Mother’s Heart That Seems to Understand the Heart of Heavenly Parents

I prepared pork ribs for dinner as a special side dish for my children, who had worked hard studying during their exam period. From draining the blood, removing the fat, boiling the ribs, then simmering them in seasoning with large chunks of potatoes, onions, and carrots—it took time and effort. Still, when I thought about how much my children would enjoy eating them, it didn’t feel troublesome at all. As soon as they came home, my hungry children clamored for food, and I proudly set a plate full of ribs before them. “Wow!” Hearing their delighted reaction made me happy. Because of my children’s picky eating—choosing only the ribs—what was left for me were the potatoes and carrots. Yet, simply…

Park Hye-young from Gimhae, Korea

The Prophet of the Nations Who Walks With God

By the grace of God, I am preaching the gospel in Japan. There are moments of deep joy, but also many moments of sorrow while sharing the gospel. It is not because of those who refuse to listen or try to hinder the work, but because I am not yet fluent in Japanese. If only I could speak a little better, this person might come to God. What if my poor Japanese prevents the truth from being delivered properly? While giving thanks to Heavenly Father and Mother for granting me the precious opportunity to preach the gospel abroad, I also felt sorry and inadequate because of my shortcomings. One day, while reading the Bible to strengthen my heart, a passage…

Baek Su-yeon from Sendai, Japan

The More We Love Our Heavenly Family

“So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?” 2 Co 12:15 This verse beautifully reflects the spirit of sacrifice that Apostle Paul had—his willingness to give up even himself for the sake of the people of God. Sometimes, loving our heavenly family requires sacrifice, patience, and endurance. Yet in the end, when all members come to understand that love and share it with one another, our hearts overflow with joy and gratitude. Remembering the love of Heavenly Mother, who gladly sacrificed everything for us, I will strive each day to serve and embrace my brothers and sisters in Zion.

Juhee Lee from Chennai, TN, India

God’s Providence and Love

“Mom, my tooth is coming in!” My nine-year-old daughter opened her mouth wide to show me a tiny new white tooth sprouting from her gums. Babies usually begin teething around six to eight months old, and by the age of five to eight, their baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth start to come in. As my daughter proudly showed me her new tooth, I suddenly felt God’s love. Though the tooth had pierced through the tender flesh of her gums, there was no bleeding, and she hardly felt any pain. When baby teeth grow, children often feel only a slight itchiness, causing them to rub their gums with their tongues or drool a little. I was amazed. Even in…

Choi Hyeong-sun from Cheongju, Korea

Not Getting Distracted

One day, I saw a young girl, probably in the lower grades of elementary school, walking along the street when she bumped her head against a roadside tree. Since the tree stood right next to the road, it could have easily led to a serious accident. The girl was holding a cell phone in her hand—she had been so absorbed in the screen that she didn’t even notice the tree before her. Watching her made my heart sink, especially as a mother raising a daughter. The walk of faith is much the same. We are meant to fix our eyes on heaven as our goal, yet I often find myself reflecting on whether I have ever been distracted by the…

Kim Hyun-im from Suncheon, Korea

True Heroes

In American history, there are a group of people who conducted the “Underground Railroad,” who are now viewed as heroes. The reason is that they risked their lives in order to free slaves with a pure and loving motive, without receiving anything in return. From the 1600s until 1865, the slavery of African Americans was legal in the United States. There came a point in the 1800s when slavery was outlawed in the northern states of America but still legal in the southern states. During this period, many slaves tried to escape to the north so that they could live freely, though it was extremely difficult to do so. In order to assist in leading these slaves to freedom, many…

D. Carly Dinnie from Connecticut, U.S.

Dad’s Love

In my childhood, I pledged myself not to become a businessperson. It was because of my dad who was a businessman. He was so busy all the time that I could hardly see him. He frequently went on a business trip; and when he wasn’t on a business trip, he had dinner appointments with his clients. I can hardly remember my family having dinner all together. Even when he was at home, he was always on the phone. When he was done with one phone call, he would soon answer another phone call. Sometimes, he was on the phone for hours. I could hardly see him whether he was at home or not, so I grumbled to my mom. “Dad…

Wei Wei from Singapore

Memory of Love

When I was little, it was always me who was in charge of running my mom’s errands as I was the youngest in my family. When my mom wrote down the things to buy from the market, I went all over the market near the house, holding the piece of paper in my hand. One day, I saw some cute puppies a middle aged lady was selling. The three or four puppies that were in a small box had ribbons of different colors around their necks. Their black and round eyes and noses, and slightly folded ears were so adorable that I sat down and patted those puppies, forgetting about the errand. “Excuse me, Ma’am. How old are these puppies?…

Ryu Mi-gyeong from Busan, South Korea

The Reason My Syngonium Revived

A few years ago, I went to a plant nursery. I didn’t think I could do a good job of raising a plant, so I asked the florist to recommend a plant that would grow well even if I didn’t take much care of it. Then she recommended syngonium. I decided to buy it because the fresh green syngonium leaves that had silver-white patterns in the center made me feel refreshed, and because I gained confidence when she told me that it would be even better if I was lazy for the plant to grow well. Just as she said, the syngonium grew really well. I put it in a spot where there was no sunlight or wind, and watered…

Jeong Eun-jeong from Seoul, South Korea

Sansevierias Revived through Care

I saw on TV a boy who was very good at growing plants. I was watching it without thinking, but then there was something that caught my attention. It was his attitude toward plants. The boy’s love for plants was different from other people; he even brought abandoned plants home to save them. It was impressive that he showed much attention to the plants and talked to them as if he was talking to someone he loved. What the boy said in the interview was even more touching: “Plants are living things. It’s sad when a living thing dies.” I admired the way the kid thought and felt ashamed of myself; because I recently let two sansevierias die. People say…

Yu Seung-hui from Busan, South Korea

Train Yourself to Be Godly

I was a quite aggressive man. I would be frustrated quickly if something didn’t go the way I had planned, or I would throw caution to the wind and go into everything if something was unsatisfactory. Many times, my aggressiveness embarrassed people around me. During school days, my Zion members went to a nearby mountain for an environmental cleanup. Garbage collection went on along with “Do Not Throw Garbage” campaign. As there were many of us, it drew people’s attention. But again, my personality was the problem. While we were continually carrying heavy sacks of cement to repair the hiking trails, my strength got overtaxed, and I got annoyed. Even with small pranks from the members of my peers, I…

Yu Wu-seung from Seoul, South Korea

Brother Whom I Sold because of My Sin

Reading a story about Jacob’s sons who sold their brother Joseph as a slave to the Midianites by their jealousy, I came to think of many things. More than anything, it is a pity that they committed sins because they did not understand the heart of their father. “Joseph is no more and Simon is no more and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” Ge 42:36 Jacob did not love only Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel. In the scene where he expressed the same grief of losing Joseph when Simon went to Egypt to look for food and was taken as captive, we can see the heart of Jacob who loved them equally. But…

Kim Min-ju from Cairns, Australia

Read When You Miss Me

Working on a school assignment, I learned about manuscripts. In the period of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, when printing techniques were not developed and books were in low quantity, it was common to transcribe books by hand. Such a handwritten document is called manuscript. Transcription was usually done by those who transcribed by profession, but parents or grandparents often transcribed books for children in the family. Many times, manuscripts were used as education materials as young children could copy letters and learn how to read while reading their parents handwritten stories and lessons contained in the book. Children who lived far after getting married could feel their parents whom they could not meet frequently through manuscripts. A typical example…

Lee Seon-mi from Seoul, South Korea

The Secret of Blessing

I was curious about why a certain member seemed to receive so many spiritual blessings, so I began to observe her closely. Before long, I discovered the answer. Her greatest gift was gratitude. Whenever she found even the smallest reason to give thanks, she did so abundantly. She never forgot the things she was thankful for but kept them in her heart, reflecting on them again and again. It seemed that the true secret to blessing lay in living like a true child of God—never taking the sacrifices of Heavenly Father and Mother for granted, but being thankful at every moment. Then I looked back on myself. When I first received the truth, I was grateful for everything. But somewhere…

Choi Yoonhee from Daegu, Korea

How Could You Endure It?

When I was little, the four of us sisters shared a small room. As soon as we lay down to sleep, we could hear our mother groaning softly in the next bed. “Oh . . . oh . . .” My sister, who was two years older than me, and I worried that she might be seriously ill. “Tomorrow morning when we wake up, you have to ask Mom where it hurts, okay?” “Okay.” But by the time we woke up, Mother had already gone out to the fields. In the end, we never asked—and as time passed, we simply forgot. Not long ago, I visited my parents’ home. That night, I once again heard my mother groaning in bed.…

Kim Sun-sook from Chungju, Korea

Spiritual Buoyancy

On earth, the blue whale is known as the largest animal, with adults weighing over 100 tonnes. In the Southern Hemisphere, some even reach 180 tonnes—an astonishing size. Yet even such an enormous creature does not sink but swims freely in the ocean. The secret lies in buoyancy. Buoyancy is the upward force exerted by a liquid or gas that allows an object to float. Without it, not only whales but no marine creature, person, or ship could remain afloat upon the water. In the same way, a soul once drowning in the sea of sin can rise toward heaven because spiritual buoyancy began to work through God’s sacrifice. I give sincere thanks for that boundless grace.

Park Eun-seo from Daegu, Korea

My Mom

In my mom’s mind, there is room for nothing but thoughts of her children. Under the scorching sun, she pulls weeds while checking again and again whether the sesame seeds have ripened. She carefully threshes each one and sends them by courier, parcel by parcel, to her children living far away. Even after giving us everything she has, whenever she calls, she only asks how we are doing and if we need anything. In conversations entirely centered on me, I barely manage to ask how she is doing—but her answer is always the same. “I’m fine. As long as you live well, that’s enough.” I found it difficult to raise even two children, but my mom raised three. When my…

Park Hye-young from Gimhae, Korea

If We Remain in God Until the End

When I was in middle school, I was a troublemaker who never listened. I did whatever I wanted, always full of complaints, frowning, and rebelling. I did not practice God’s teachings—such as speaking with grace, greeting warmly, or showing consideration for others. In high school, I tried to pull myself together and change, but it was not easy. Serving my brothers and sisters and praying for others, as I had learned in Zion, felt beyond my ability. Even so, I never missed the student group gatherings. Whether it rained or I was out with friends, I always made sure to attend. Before long, I became a young adult and wanted to take part in many gospel activities such as IWBA…

Song Hae-in from Incheon, Korea