Enlightenment

Giving Thanks in All Circumstances

One day, I felt like something was stuck in my neck. I had frequent acid reflux, too. I was confident of my health, saying that I could even eat a lump of metal and digest it, but something must have certainly gone wrong. “You’ve got reflux esophagitis.” The doctor told…

Lee Gwon-seob from Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea

The Flames Will Not Set You Ablaze

Around five o’clock in the early morning when everybody in my family was sleeping, a loud sound like a car crash woke me up. While I was still half asleep, something like a gunshot was heard. Fully awake, I woke up my husband. On the outside, I heard a few…

Celine Dharshana Solomon from Setapak, Malaysia

Even While I’m Sleeping

Some time ago, I read an article about a mother taking care of her sick son. Her son suffered from a disease that caused respiratory problems followed by muscle contraction. The doctors who diagnosed his disease told her that he only had eighteen months to live. She took her son…

Wei Wei from Philadelphia, PA, USA

A Kid Who Cannot See the Stars

The sound of kids’ laughter never ceased in a vacant lot in my neighborhood. Kids played there, forgetting about their hunger, and whenever it became dark, they gathered to count stars and look for constellations. Everybody enjoyed it except for one kid—me. “There are so many stars up there. You…

Jang Hui-won from Seongnam, Korea

When We Look with the Eyes of Love

I ordered a clothes rack to organize my dressing room. The clothes rack arrived a few days later. Although I didn’t have time because of my night work, I put the rack together and started organizing the room. I wanted to finish it quickly, but I got tired when I…

Park Eun-jeong from Chuncheon, Korea

A Novice Shepherd’s Realization

I was born and raised in one of the coldest northern states in the U.S. where the temperature went down to -40℃ (-40℉) in winter. It was hot in summer; it reached up to 38℃ (100℉). My closest neighbor was 1.6 km (1 mile) away, and I never really got…

Alan Sayler from Houston, U.S.

Mother’s Love that I Haven’t Realized

Before I was born, my family had lived in Lima, the capital city of Peru. One day, there was a very strong earthquake in a region in Peru. At that time, my father was working at the Ministry of Home Affairs, and he was in charge of reconstructing the region…

Mertty Polack from Lima, Peru

Mother’s Mind

My sister is one year older than me. Since we are similar in age, we often squabbled like friends. On all such occasions, however, my parents scolded me. I couldn’t accept their minds no matter how well they treated me because I thought it was unfair. As I began to…

Choi Eun-hye from Incheon, Korea

The Selflessness of a Fire Fighter

“They were part of an elite squad confronting wildfires on the frontline, setting up barriers to stop the spreading of destruction. But in their unpredictable world, it doesn’t take much to turn a situation deadly.” CNN says of the 19 firefighters who are being honored posthumously for giving even their…

Michael Means from Charlotte, NC, USA

The Shepherd & the Sheep

Many of us, Mongolians, engage in stock-farming. In a vast meadow, we raise five kinds of livestock together—cows, horses, sheep, goats, and camels. Among them, we raise sheep the most. One family keeps approximately more than a thousand sheep. Every sheep has different colors—white, black, brown, dappled, and so on.…

B. Jargalsaikhan from Erdenet, Mongolia

Until a Precious Bowl Is Made

I watched a TV show about how a master craftsman, who is designated as intangible cultural asset, makes Bangjja, Korean type of hand-forged glossy brassware with yellowish color. Bangjja of such high quality were used for the king’s table. Bangjja made with traditional techniques has good durability, so it preserves…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Daejeon, Korea

Mommy Heaven

Recently in our church, we looked at a picture captioned Busy Mommy. The mother is standing at a stove, cooking and holding her child on her hip. A telephone is wedged between the mother’s shoulder and her ear, and the child is trying to grab the phone. At the same…

Joy Meela Gallant from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

God’s True Intention

“Min! Can you come home and stay for a few days?” My mom asked me in a somewhat serious voice. Usually, she hardly mentions anything that could worry my brother and me. So, if she gave us a sudden call like that, it meant that something serious was going on.…

Park Dong-min from Anyang, Korea

Mother of Six Children

My mom was a very kind and calm person. She used to read to me with a soft voice, and I liked it so much. I was brought up like a princess until I was five years old, when my little sister was born. She looked like a boy because…

Eun-jin Jo from Changwon, Korea

Answer Me

A lady, who was tender with a very warm personality, lived next door. Her baby daughter was also well-behaved probably because she resembled her mom. The baby was not afraid of strangers and made no trouble, so I gave a hearty compliment to her, “You’re a really good girl. How…

Ji-min Yim from Gunpo, Korea

Parents’ Concern

As I stay in Russia away from home, I send pictures of myself to show my parents how I’m doing. It was on a day when it hailed for the first time last winter. A shower of hail looked marvelous. I took a photo of my hands receiving hailstones. My…

Kang Yo-na from Chelyabinsk, Russia

Avoid Every Kind of Evil

I was sick for months. I bought all different kinds of medicine from the pharmacy and tried all kinds of treatment, including home remedies, but nothing made me better. When I came to the point that I might have to quit my job, I went to see the doctor whom…

Goitseone Thamae from Cape Town, South Africa

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…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Daejeon, 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…

Park Su-bin from Seoul, 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…

D. Carly Dinnie from Connecticut, U.S.