Enlightenment

Like Learning a Language

Learning a foreign language in an unfamiliar land was far from easy. After much trial and error, I began by memorizing simple greetings, basic words, and short phrases step by step, like a child learning to walk. Gradually, my efforts…

Mun So-yeong from Mexico City, Mexico

Let Me Serve

There’s a saying: “Don’t let familiarity make you forget what is precious.” It’s true when we grow accustomed to people, objects, or situations, we often lose sight of their value. One day, as I flipped through the pages of the…

Jahng Ji-eun from Pyeongtaek, Korea

A Life Sustained by Mother’s Grace

Back in my school days, I had a hard time waking up in the morning. Even though my mom was busy preparing breakfast, she would go back and forth between the kitchen and my room, trying to rouse me from…

Shin Mi-ae from Seoul, Korea

Nothing Is to Be Taken for Granted

My younger sister, now a college freshman, was set to attend the Worldwide Academic Year Opening Worship 2025 with our mom. It was the first time either of them had attended such an event, and both were visibly excited. Caught…

Gahng Ji-yeon from Gimje, Korea

The Power of Shared Heart: Empathy

It is said that many companies today prefer to hire new employees with a high empathy quotient. Empathy—the ability to align one’s thoughts and feelings with those of another—is a powerful skill. Those who possess it often demonstrate humility, earning…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Cheongju, Korea

Words and Glass

While helping with the construction of Zion, I once assisted in applying insulation film to the windows. That’s when I learned an important lesson: although wiping the film with a cloth or microfiber can make the surface look clean, it…

Ah Yeong-jun from Seongnam, Korea

A Gift

As a child, I would prepare small gifts for my parents on special occasions—their wedding anniversary, birthdays, and the like. My only source of money came from running errands or the modest allowance my parents themselves had given me. More…

Lee Seong-jae from Seongnam, Korea

When the Purpose Is Clear

Waking up my daughter each morning—especially when she’s in her usual sleepy state—takes a great deal of patience. I always try to wake her gently, hoping not to start the day on a sour note. But when she remains dazed…

Kim Hyeon-im from Suncheon, Korea

Wheat-Flour Tteokguk

During my childhood, my mother ran a tight household, raising and feeding six children. One day, when I came home from school, she announced loudly: “Tonight, we’re having tteokguk!” “Really? Wow!” Back when rice was scarce, tteokguk was a rare…

Ahn Seong-bun from Busan, Korea

Returning Love

One day, as I was getting on a bus, my usual transit card failed to register. Worried about holding up the passengers behind me, I moved to the seat just behind the driver and kept trying to scan it, but…

Kim Min-jeong from Changwon, Korea

The Older We Get, the More We Resemble Our Parents

I recently paid a long-overdue visit to my cousin. As I stepped through the door and saw her coming to greet me, I was momentarily taken aback; it felt as though my late aunt, who had passed more than a…

Choi Heon-chim from Wonju, Korea

Everything That Was Written in the Past

I once attended a lecture titled “A Nation That Forgets Its History Has No Future.” As we revisited Korea’s painful past, someone remarked, “At the time, our country was powerless, so there was nothing we could do.” The speaker responded…

Shim Hyeon-ji from Guri, Korea

Two Are Better Than One

To mark the upcoming biblical festival, I joined the Zion members from my university club in a special challenge: to offer a united prayer ten thousand times over forty days. At first, the goal seemed daunting—perhaps even impossible. Two are…

Choi Yun-jeong from Daejeon, Korea

Like the Double Bass

I’ve always had a fondness for the New Songs arranged as instrumental pieces. During choir performances, my ears are naturally drawn to the orchestra’s accompaniment, and the more I listen, the more I marvel at the beauty of the harmonies…

Jahng Min-gyeong from Seongnam, Korea

My Reward Is With Me

While tidying my room, I came across a bundle of old award certificates tucked away in a drawer. The paper had yellowed with time, but the memories they stirred were vivid and fresh. As an elementary school student, I eagerly…

Kim Yu-bin from Goyang, Korea

Running With Purpose

While tidying up my desk, I came across an old study planner from my final year of high school. Inside, I found a verse that had helped me endure one of the most trying seasons of my life:
 Therefore I…

Lee Se-eun from Busan, Korea

As the Lord Forgave You

Whenever conflict arose from a difference of opinion, I was quick to place the blame on the other person. It takes two hands to clap, after all. But beneath my inability to reach out first with an apology, there lay…

Hong Hyeon-ji from Suwon, Korea

So That We May All Understand

It happened during a conversation with a new member. As we spoke, the sister who had been giving thanks to God for coming in the flesh to save His children suddenly brightened, her eyes sparkling as if struck by a…

Song Yeon-ju from Seongnam, Korea

A Sure Proof

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates…

Sarrah Bracamonte from Quezon City, Philippines

A Helpful Tip for Building Good Habits

I recently returned from a three-week overseas short-term mission. Because the time was brief, the schedule was so tightly packed that each day blurred into the next. For the entire first week, we focused solely on preaching. I had never…

Kim Su-jeong from Daegu, Korea